LONG WEEKEND 28th APRIL 1st MAY 2017
SOUTH EAST WALES
FRIDAY 28th APRIL
Malcolm picked the minibus up in Liverpool, met our two Lime Street customers and was at Hamilton Square by 08:50. We had 14 on board and were away by 09:05. We travelled down the borders stopping at Craven Arms for a comfort break and my usual café at Aymestry for a light lunch. I picked up a menu at the Heritage Centre and then got to Pwll Mawr (Big Pit) at 14:30 7 of the other 8 were there but poor Paula was having distinct traffic problems. I thought we could only take 17 down Pwll Mawr but in fact we all went in two lots so I was able to go. It was a really good tour lasting 50 minutes underground.
Pwll Mawr was originally an iron ore mine reached by an adit known as Engine Pit level. This was cut by hand in 1810. It can still be seen and we hope to view it. The main pit was probably opened in the 1860s although the first mention of Big Pit by name is in a report from 1881. At its peak it was producing quarter of a million tons of coal a year. It was one of the first to use electricity for fans, pumps and haulage (by 1910) although winning the coal was still done by hand. 1939 saw the establishment of pithead baths (and they are not a supermarket now) which helped improve the health of the miners. By the 1970s seams near the surface were being exploited and by 1973 winding at the mine had finished. Final closure came on 2nd February 1980. The site was bought by Torfaen Council (for £1) and reopened for visitors in 1983 being run by a charitable trust. This did have financial problems as visitor numbers were not high enough and in 2001 it was incorporated into National Museum of Wales.
After our underground tour led by a former miner we had 30 minutes to wander around the site. Then it was on to our hotel, the Heritage Park Hotel in Trehafod. We settled in and had our meal before a talk by Brian Davies former curator of Pontypridd Museum who gave a talk on the industrialization of South Wales. It was illustrated entirely by slides of paintings and similar – not a single photograph - and was most different and really interesting.
SATURDAY 29th APRIL
Saturday started with a very good buffet breakfast and we were away about 09:03. We had a good run to Blaenafon and met Eifion at the Ironworks (along with Billy the dog). This was built in 1787 by Thomas Hill, Thomas Hopkin and Benjamin Pratt on land leased from Lord Abergavenny. It had 3 furnaces, calcining kilns, workers cottages (used in TV series Coal yard) and a company shop.
By 1833 the company owned 430 houses and employed 1000. This had risen to 5000 by the 1870s and the by now Blaenafon Iron and Steel Company had made a successful conversion to steel making at Forgeside across the valley. However by 1904 Iron making had ceased although the forges were still used to make munitions casings and the yard was used for storage. In 1974 conservation began and in 2000 the area was declared a World Heritage site. We had a good tour round the ironworks seeing casting sheds, furnaces, the balance tower and finally the workers’ cottages.
There is a very good audio-visual display in one of the casting houses and you see how the iron flows in to the pig beds. The workers’ cottages have period furnishings and also an exhibition including a truck shop. Then Eifion took most of the party a walk through Blaenafon and, as well as pointing out some old building and telling of historical events, also told some “juicy” murder stories. We finished up at the Workingmen’s Hall. This was built in 1895 and the members (most of the community) gave a halfpenny a week from their wages to maintain it. It was the focal point of the community and even today provides a cinema, concerts, snooker, table tennis meeting rooms for many groups and a museum. This is a comprehensive overview of local history and includes Alexander Cordell (Rape of the Fair Country) memorabilia. As well as looking at the museum we will get a guided tour of the hall (Concerts permitting).
Meanwhile we had a crisis over lunch but thanks to the lady at the Heritage Centre and especially the staff at the Lion Hotel a very good lunch was had by all. We moved on to the Rhymney Brewery. The original Rhymney Brewery was founded in 1839 by Andrew Buchan. The area with its many ironworks and coal mines was fertile ground for a brewery and, in time, it grew to become the biggest brewery in South Wales with the slogan Beer – it’s lovely. Sadly the tentacles of Whitbred ensnared it in the 1960s (just as I started drinking in the area!) and in 1978 the brewery was closed. Joyfully that was not the end as in 2004, father and son Steve and Marc Evans set up this new brewery and it is going from strength to strength. We had a self guided tour of the brewery followed by the obligatory half (at least) of beer. The driver was given a bottle to take home!
We then split with the majority opting for a trip on the Pontypool and Blaenafon Railway with a small number spending more time at Pwll Mawr, This is the highest preserved standard gauge railway in Wales. It was completed in 1869 but the history of its various parts is somewhat complicated and I would defer to John Ryan on this point. Suffice it to say there was lots of coal traffic in the area. The passenger service ceased during WWII and the Brynmawr branch had been lifted by 1960. Big Pit closed in 1980 but by 1983 there were restored passenger services between Furnace and Whistle Stop halt. Further expansion has seen the line extended to Coed Avon with a branch to Big Pit.We had a full return trip on the railway which goes from Furnace sidings station to Whistle Inn, back through Furnace to Big Pit, back to Furnace, down to Blaenafon High Level and finally returns to Furnace sidings.
After a very enjoyable ride we returned to Big Pit, picked the rest up and returned to our hotel. We met Ivor English who is our speaker tonight. He is a great lover of the Rhondda and talked about his family, his work, the miners’ strike and a lot more beside. Like last night it was all without notes and his passion for his subject was obvious.
SUNDAY 30th APRIL
After another good breakfast we set off for the Brecon Mountain Railway. This narrow gauge railway has been built on part of the trackbed of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway. The original railway opened in stages in the 1860s reaching Merthyr in 1868. It was predominantly freight in its southern section and rural passenger north of Pant. It was never profitable and became GWR at grouping and survived until 1962 for passengers and 1964 for freight.
A private company decided to rebuild the line north of Pant and obtained an LRO in 1978 opening to Ponsticil in 1980. Pant Station and works were constructed between 1982 and 1996 with Dol-y-Gaer being reached in 1995 and Torpantau in 2014. There is a steam museum at Pontsticill and a public viewing gallery at the engine shed and works. We arrived there in plenty of time and had a drink, looked round the workshop where we were told what was going on (they are building two new locos from scratch and overhauling a boiler). We had a stop at Torpantau to see the loco running round and again at Pontsticill where we could have a cuppa or visit the fairly new steam museum. The journey did take a few members by surprise with the scenic beauty of the line.
After the trip we moved to Cyfarthfa Castle where we had tea, coffee and cakes and met our guide for the afternoon, Michael. Built in 1824 for William Crawshay II. It is the most visible remains of the vast fortune the family accrued. Today it is home to a museum spanning 2000 years of Merthyr History. After eating we set off for our tour of Merthyr. First stop was Cefn Coed Viaduct where many photos were taken. This was built in 1866 by Henry Conybeare and Alexander Sutherland for the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, spanning the Afon Taff Fawr. It is curved to follow the wishes of the Crawshays and is Grade II* listed. Then it was on to Cyfarthfa Ironworks. Originally built in 1866 for Anthony Bacon it was taken over 20 years later by the Crawshay family, one of the greatest ironfounders. The first of them died a millionaire in 1816!!
During the 19c the works did not modernise sufficiently and Dowlais became the prominent works. Cyfarthfa closed in 1919 and today we can see the remains of the 6 massive blast furnaces (in need of TLC!). Some members explored the tunnels in the hillside whilst others walked to Pont Y Cafnau. This iron truss bridge over the Afon Taff was built in 1793 by Watkin George to support an aqueduct and tramway to bring limestone and water to the Cyfarthfa Works. It is the world’s oldest surviving iron railway bridge. The aqueduct disappeared in 1850 and the bridge is now a footpath. (Sadly the photos were too big for the website).
After this we moved on to Joseph Parry’s Cottage which dates from 1825 and was home ot the eponymous composer famous for the love song Myfanwy and the hymn Aberystwyth. The cottage is furnished in period style with a museum to the composer upstairs. We moved the short distance to the Ynysfach Engine House which was one of two used at the adjacent iron works. Built 1836 for the next door ironworks which closed in 1874. The building was restored in 1989 and now functions as a heritage centre.We had a talk on this and a good look round before moving on to the Trevithick Tunnel. In 1803 Trevithick came to Samuel Homfray’s Pen-y-Darren Ironworks to install a high pressure, stationary engine. Homfray asked about the possibility of a steam railway engine and in October 1803 Trevithick started its construction. Crawshay was very sceptical and bet 500 guineas it would not work but on 21/2/1804 it pulled 10 tons of iron and 70 men in five wagons from the works to Abercynon and, although running repairs were needed on the way back it reached the works that evening. Thus this tunnel was the first to see a steam engine.
We then returned to Cyfarthfa via Dowlais The Ironworks were founded in 1769 by a 9 man partnership although this proved very unwieldy. Eventually the Guest family took over the works which became the pre-eminent steel works in Merthyr and was also the first business to license the Bessemer Process. In 1902 it became Guest, Keen and Nettlefold. The main works closed in 1936 but the Dowlais Foundry and Engineering Co carried on until 1987. We viewed the engine house and the stables, which are the only remains of the once great ironworks. We were also able to see where the Pen-y-Darren locomotive had started its run.
Once back at Cyfarthfa we said goodbye to Michael and returned to our hotel where, after dinner, we had the great IA quiz ably conducted by Rob Jones and won by John Hewitt.
MONDAY 1st APRIL
After a last night at the Heritage Park Hotel we breakfasted, packed the bus and left.We arrived at the Great Western Colliery Engine House (Hetty’s Engine) at 09:15 and met Colin there. We had a history of the site followed by a look at the exterior and then at the engine, After an hour plus which was a fascinating bonus we moved on to Newport Transporter Bridge. This was opened by Lord Tredegar in 1906 but after the opening of the new Southern Ring Road bridge in 2005 it is not much used commercially. Because it was in a poor condition it was closed 1985-1995 but money was obtained for refurbishment. It is now owned by Newport County Borough Council and has an active “Friends”. The towers are 645 feet apart and the clearance above the road is 245 feet. The maximum speed is 10 feet per second.
Five of our number did the high level crossing, most did a return journey on foot and all went across in the bus. We also had a chance to look at the exhibition in the Friends’ house. Then it was up to Monmouth for lunch and back up the motorway arriving at Hamilton Square 17:45
SOUTH EAST WALES
FRIDAY 28th APRIL
Malcolm picked the minibus up in Liverpool, met our two Lime Street customers and was at Hamilton Square by 08:50. We had 14 on board and were away by 09:05. We travelled down the borders stopping at Craven Arms for a comfort break and my usual café at Aymestry for a light lunch. I picked up a menu at the Heritage Centre and then got to Pwll Mawr (Big Pit) at 14:30 7 of the other 8 were there but poor Paula was having distinct traffic problems. I thought we could only take 17 down Pwll Mawr but in fact we all went in two lots so I was able to go. It was a really good tour lasting 50 minutes underground.
Pwll Mawr was originally an iron ore mine reached by an adit known as Engine Pit level. This was cut by hand in 1810. It can still be seen and we hope to view it. The main pit was probably opened in the 1860s although the first mention of Big Pit by name is in a report from 1881. At its peak it was producing quarter of a million tons of coal a year. It was one of the first to use electricity for fans, pumps and haulage (by 1910) although winning the coal was still done by hand. 1939 saw the establishment of pithead baths (and they are not a supermarket now) which helped improve the health of the miners. By the 1970s seams near the surface were being exploited and by 1973 winding at the mine had finished. Final closure came on 2nd February 1980. The site was bought by Torfaen Council (for £1) and reopened for visitors in 1983 being run by a charitable trust. This did have financial problems as visitor numbers were not high enough and in 2001 it was incorporated into National Museum of Wales.
After our underground tour led by a former miner we had 30 minutes to wander around the site. Then it was on to our hotel, the Heritage Park Hotel in Trehafod. We settled in and had our meal before a talk by Brian Davies former curator of Pontypridd Museum who gave a talk on the industrialization of South Wales. It was illustrated entirely by slides of paintings and similar – not a single photograph - and was most different and really interesting.
SATURDAY 29th APRIL
Saturday started with a very good buffet breakfast and we were away about 09:03. We had a good run to Blaenafon and met Eifion at the Ironworks (along with Billy the dog). This was built in 1787 by Thomas Hill, Thomas Hopkin and Benjamin Pratt on land leased from Lord Abergavenny. It had 3 furnaces, calcining kilns, workers cottages (used in TV series Coal yard) and a company shop.
By 1833 the company owned 430 houses and employed 1000. This had risen to 5000 by the 1870s and the by now Blaenafon Iron and Steel Company had made a successful conversion to steel making at Forgeside across the valley. However by 1904 Iron making had ceased although the forges were still used to make munitions casings and the yard was used for storage. In 1974 conservation began and in 2000 the area was declared a World Heritage site. We had a good tour round the ironworks seeing casting sheds, furnaces, the balance tower and finally the workers’ cottages.
There is a very good audio-visual display in one of the casting houses and you see how the iron flows in to the pig beds. The workers’ cottages have period furnishings and also an exhibition including a truck shop. Then Eifion took most of the party a walk through Blaenafon and, as well as pointing out some old building and telling of historical events, also told some “juicy” murder stories. We finished up at the Workingmen’s Hall. This was built in 1895 and the members (most of the community) gave a halfpenny a week from their wages to maintain it. It was the focal point of the community and even today provides a cinema, concerts, snooker, table tennis meeting rooms for many groups and a museum. This is a comprehensive overview of local history and includes Alexander Cordell (Rape of the Fair Country) memorabilia. As well as looking at the museum we will get a guided tour of the hall (Concerts permitting).
Meanwhile we had a crisis over lunch but thanks to the lady at the Heritage Centre and especially the staff at the Lion Hotel a very good lunch was had by all. We moved on to the Rhymney Brewery. The original Rhymney Brewery was founded in 1839 by Andrew Buchan. The area with its many ironworks and coal mines was fertile ground for a brewery and, in time, it grew to become the biggest brewery in South Wales with the slogan Beer – it’s lovely. Sadly the tentacles of Whitbred ensnared it in the 1960s (just as I started drinking in the area!) and in 1978 the brewery was closed. Joyfully that was not the end as in 2004, father and son Steve and Marc Evans set up this new brewery and it is going from strength to strength. We had a self guided tour of the brewery followed by the obligatory half (at least) of beer. The driver was given a bottle to take home!
We then split with the majority opting for a trip on the Pontypool and Blaenafon Railway with a small number spending more time at Pwll Mawr, This is the highest preserved standard gauge railway in Wales. It was completed in 1869 but the history of its various parts is somewhat complicated and I would defer to John Ryan on this point. Suffice it to say there was lots of coal traffic in the area. The passenger service ceased during WWII and the Brynmawr branch had been lifted by 1960. Big Pit closed in 1980 but by 1983 there were restored passenger services between Furnace and Whistle Stop halt. Further expansion has seen the line extended to Coed Avon with a branch to Big Pit.We had a full return trip on the railway which goes from Furnace sidings station to Whistle Inn, back through Furnace to Big Pit, back to Furnace, down to Blaenafon High Level and finally returns to Furnace sidings.
After a very enjoyable ride we returned to Big Pit, picked the rest up and returned to our hotel. We met Ivor English who is our speaker tonight. He is a great lover of the Rhondda and talked about his family, his work, the miners’ strike and a lot more beside. Like last night it was all without notes and his passion for his subject was obvious.
SUNDAY 30th APRIL
After another good breakfast we set off for the Brecon Mountain Railway. This narrow gauge railway has been built on part of the trackbed of the Brecon and Merthyr Railway. The original railway opened in stages in the 1860s reaching Merthyr in 1868. It was predominantly freight in its southern section and rural passenger north of Pant. It was never profitable and became GWR at grouping and survived until 1962 for passengers and 1964 for freight.
A private company decided to rebuild the line north of Pant and obtained an LRO in 1978 opening to Ponsticil in 1980. Pant Station and works were constructed between 1982 and 1996 with Dol-y-Gaer being reached in 1995 and Torpantau in 2014. There is a steam museum at Pontsticill and a public viewing gallery at the engine shed and works. We arrived there in plenty of time and had a drink, looked round the workshop where we were told what was going on (they are building two new locos from scratch and overhauling a boiler). We had a stop at Torpantau to see the loco running round and again at Pontsticill where we could have a cuppa or visit the fairly new steam museum. The journey did take a few members by surprise with the scenic beauty of the line.
After the trip we moved to Cyfarthfa Castle where we had tea, coffee and cakes and met our guide for the afternoon, Michael. Built in 1824 for William Crawshay II. It is the most visible remains of the vast fortune the family accrued. Today it is home to a museum spanning 2000 years of Merthyr History. After eating we set off for our tour of Merthyr. First stop was Cefn Coed Viaduct where many photos were taken. This was built in 1866 by Henry Conybeare and Alexander Sutherland for the Brecon and Merthyr Railway, spanning the Afon Taff Fawr. It is curved to follow the wishes of the Crawshays and is Grade II* listed. Then it was on to Cyfarthfa Ironworks. Originally built in 1866 for Anthony Bacon it was taken over 20 years later by the Crawshay family, one of the greatest ironfounders. The first of them died a millionaire in 1816!!
During the 19c the works did not modernise sufficiently and Dowlais became the prominent works. Cyfarthfa closed in 1919 and today we can see the remains of the 6 massive blast furnaces (in need of TLC!). Some members explored the tunnels in the hillside whilst others walked to Pont Y Cafnau. This iron truss bridge over the Afon Taff was built in 1793 by Watkin George to support an aqueduct and tramway to bring limestone and water to the Cyfarthfa Works. It is the world’s oldest surviving iron railway bridge. The aqueduct disappeared in 1850 and the bridge is now a footpath. (Sadly the photos were too big for the website).
After this we moved on to Joseph Parry’s Cottage which dates from 1825 and was home ot the eponymous composer famous for the love song Myfanwy and the hymn Aberystwyth. The cottage is furnished in period style with a museum to the composer upstairs. We moved the short distance to the Ynysfach Engine House which was one of two used at the adjacent iron works. Built 1836 for the next door ironworks which closed in 1874. The building was restored in 1989 and now functions as a heritage centre.We had a talk on this and a good look round before moving on to the Trevithick Tunnel. In 1803 Trevithick came to Samuel Homfray’s Pen-y-Darren Ironworks to install a high pressure, stationary engine. Homfray asked about the possibility of a steam railway engine and in October 1803 Trevithick started its construction. Crawshay was very sceptical and bet 500 guineas it would not work but on 21/2/1804 it pulled 10 tons of iron and 70 men in five wagons from the works to Abercynon and, although running repairs were needed on the way back it reached the works that evening. Thus this tunnel was the first to see a steam engine.
We then returned to Cyfarthfa via Dowlais The Ironworks were founded in 1769 by a 9 man partnership although this proved very unwieldy. Eventually the Guest family took over the works which became the pre-eminent steel works in Merthyr and was also the first business to license the Bessemer Process. In 1902 it became Guest, Keen and Nettlefold. The main works closed in 1936 but the Dowlais Foundry and Engineering Co carried on until 1987. We viewed the engine house and the stables, which are the only remains of the once great ironworks. We were also able to see where the Pen-y-Darren locomotive had started its run.
Once back at Cyfarthfa we said goodbye to Michael and returned to our hotel where, after dinner, we had the great IA quiz ably conducted by Rob Jones and won by John Hewitt.
MONDAY 1st APRIL
After a last night at the Heritage Park Hotel we breakfasted, packed the bus and left.We arrived at the Great Western Colliery Engine House (Hetty’s Engine) at 09:15 and met Colin there. We had a history of the site followed by a look at the exterior and then at the engine, After an hour plus which was a fascinating bonus we moved on to Newport Transporter Bridge. This was opened by Lord Tredegar in 1906 but after the opening of the new Southern Ring Road bridge in 2005 it is not much used commercially. Because it was in a poor condition it was closed 1985-1995 but money was obtained for refurbishment. It is now owned by Newport County Borough Council and has an active “Friends”. The towers are 645 feet apart and the clearance above the road is 245 feet. The maximum speed is 10 feet per second.
Five of our number did the high level crossing, most did a return journey on foot and all went across in the bus. We also had a chance to look at the exhibition in the Friends’ house. Then it was up to Monmouth for lunch and back up the motorway arriving at Hamilton Square 17:45
Three photos to supplement our 2017 Long Weekend with thanks to Maurice Handley
1 (left) Cefn Coed Viaduct. An impressive curving structure with 15 arches, Built in 1866 it is 120 ft high and 770 ft long, The arches are turned in brick rather than using the larger limestone blocks forming the rest of the bridge, presumably because its easier to follow the curve.
2 (Centre) Pont y Cafnau. A cast iron bridge built 1793 to carry the tramway over the River Taff. The bridge also carried two water troughs, one above and one below the tramway.
3 (Right) Gurnos Tramway with stone sleeper blocks in situ. It brought limestone from Gurnos Quarry to the Cyfarthfa ironworks. A leat also follows the route
1 (left) Cefn Coed Viaduct. An impressive curving structure with 15 arches, Built in 1866 it is 120 ft high and 770 ft long, The arches are turned in brick rather than using the larger limestone blocks forming the rest of the bridge, presumably because its easier to follow the curve.
2 (Centre) Pont y Cafnau. A cast iron bridge built 1793 to carry the tramway over the River Taff. The bridge also carried two water troughs, one above and one below the tramway.
3 (Right) Gurnos Tramway with stone sleeper blocks in situ. It brought limestone from Gurnos Quarry to the Cyfarthfa ironworks. A leat also follows the route