Steam Trains

As a child I would catch a steam train with my mother from Pontypool Road Station to Hereford to visit my grandmother.

I remember my trepidation as the platform disappeared around us in a cloud of steam and the strange hiss from the engine grew louder and louder. The train approached and passed us, gradually coming to a halt with the carriages alongside the platform for us to board. Inside the carriages were furnished with polished wood and pictures of exotic holiday resorts framed in glass cases. When all passengers were aboard and the doors closed, the Station Master waved his flag and blew his whistle to advise the train driver it was safe to depart.

Later diesel trains took over and the regular rhythm of the steam train and its rather frightening arrival disappeared.

 

View across Garn Lakes from carriage

My memories come flooding back at Pontypool & Blaenavon Steam Railway. Passing through their newly built ticket office and tea room, you can buy a traditional ticket at a traditional ticket kiosk.

The Station Master waves his flag and blows his whistle and we're off. On board a ticket collector checks and punches our tickets.

The journey on this especially constructed track, lasts minutes, but takes me back more  than fifty years. The Railway Society has special days which can be discovered along with their next event on the link below.


www.pontypool-and-blaenavon.co.uk/

Level crossing with Ticket Office in the distance

 

Bear's Breeches

What a lovely name for a plant!

As you have probably guessed if you are a regular visitor to this blog, I love plants. These particular specimens are large with attractive jagged leaves and lupin-like purple and white flower spikes in late summer. Known as a mediterranean plant, our mild welsh climate means I can hang on to it for a few years at least. The plant all but disappears with the winter frosts, but the dark glossy leaves gradually appear again in springtime.

If you enjoy history you have probably seen the leaves of this plant replicated at the top of Corinthian stone columns.

The first depictions found date back to Ancient Greece. 

 

'Bear's Breeches' doesn't sound like Greek to me, I hear you say. Well, what about Acanthus. Now that's a far more sophisticated name for such a splended architectural plant.  But I'm still waiting for the bear to turn up in my garden to claim his trousers, or do they wear denim these days?

 

 

Clydach Gorge Ironworks

 

Turn right off the mountainroad between Blaenavon and Brynmawr and as you descend into the valley along narrow car-littered streets you pass the Jolly Collier Pub (or you may go in - its entirely your choice.) Exactly who the pub is named after and why he was jolly seems unknown.



Descend further along Llanelly Hill and it appears you could be in a Cornish fishing village, except for the open mountain views between the rows of cottages.

A welcoming picnic area sits on the left-hand side as you reach the bottom of the gorge. Use the neighbouring car park and over a stone bridge and then back over an ancient iron bridge you will find the rather Gothic ruins of the Ironworks.

The ancient iron bridge was built with iron from the 18th century works. Its a very simple but attractive piece of engineering.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clydach_Gorge


another famous iron bridge in Shropshire, England

 

The sign says "Puck's Valley, the whole gorge is very picturesque, surrounded by woodland and steep-sided landscapes. The ironworks ruins appears quite Gothic. I can only ask, does the woodland come alive when no-one is around?

 

Nantyglo Round Towers

View from the nearby lane

History has left us many strange monuments and follies, but in the small town of Nantyglo, near Brynmawr sits two aging stone towers.  The towers are located on privateland at Roundhouse Farm and can only be viewed from the nearby bridlepath.  They were constructed by the Bailey family to protect them and their property in case of a workers' uprising, which never happened.

The towers were never used in anger, but are now protected by a large, barking farm dog.

Second of the towers in greater disrepair

Further along, but harder to find, are the remains of the families mansion.

The site below provides information on this site in far more detail.

Nantyglo Heritage Trail
 

Dic Penderyn 1808-1831

According to the Dic Penderyn Society, Dic Penderyn was the first Welsh working class martyr, murdered by the state for his part in the Merthyr Rising of 1831.

He was tried, sentenced and hanged in Cardiff for his alleged involvement in the Merthyr Riots. He was buried outside the churchyard in Aberavon in an unmarked grave, where a monument has now been erected.

Image from Walesonline, also available elswhere on the internet.
http://i1.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/article5414798.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/zzdix-5414798.jpg

The Uprising (known as the Merthyr Riots) will be remembered for the 5 days when the people held the town against the Imperial troops. Workers' goods had been seized in payment of debt, leaving them without basic living materials. The rioters destroyed only the buildings storing this property. No looting of other premises took place.

Afterwards, all the ring leaders were arrested. Richard Lewis, (Dic Penderyn) and Lewis Lewis, the Huntsman were sentenced to be hanged for their part in organising the Rising. Despite numerous peititons and letters asking for clemency, Dic Penderyn was hanged at Cardiff Goal on 13 August 1831, becoming the first martyr of a new breed of working class.

Lewis Lewis was reprieved and sentenced to be transported. The workers returned to work with severe pay custs. The Army was again stationed at Dowlais, near Merthyr.  The trade union movement was crushed and leaders black-listed, only to re-emerge at the end of the decade.

Reasons behind the Uprising:

• No fresh water supply
• No sewage system
• Frequent epidemics of typhoid, cholera, scarlet fever, etc.
• Merthyr virtually a 'pocket Borough' controlled by the Ironmasters
• Long hours of work
• Frequent pay cuts due to trade slumps
• Dangerous work, injuries daily, death common
• Very poor housing - back-to-back houses often rat infested
• Truck system - workers paid with tokens to be used only in Ironmaster's shop
• 1830 a time of trade recession
• Reform Movement
• Collapse of the Poor Law Relief System

The Dic Penderyn Society was formed in 1979 to commemorate the importance of the various events of the Merthyr Rising in Welsh/British history.

For further details:
Viv Pugh, tel: 01685 377883
e-mail: pughmv@aol.com

e-mail: greatmerthyrtydfil@yahoo.co.uk

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/posts/dic_penderyn_the_welsh_martyr



 

Strange Creatures of the Coastal Path

 

 

The rare Newport Dragon enjoying the sea view

The access to the coastal path at Goldcliffe at first glance is not promising.  After driving along countryroads with very little signage you just appear to come to the literal "end of the road." A flight of steps ahead of you takes you to the sea wall and the coastal path.  Cars park on the roadside and on busy summer days the row can extend quite a way down the road.

One person has decided to imrove the facilities. A small shop and garden cafe has been created for the many thirsty walkers who may have forgotten to take their own refreshments. Tables and chairs adorn her garden, along with fairies, toads, dragonflies, butterflies and all sorts of creatures. Service is provided with a friendly smile. Fresh cream scones were on the menu when I last visited. Her first attempt, but excellent!




The even rarer multi-coloured rhinoceros.

The cafe garden is not the only place for strange and unexpected creatures and objects. They appear to abound in this small section of pathway. Has the quality of the sea water something to do with it?

Rarest of all, husband with a giant anchor.

 

 

The Hobby Horse is back!

This trade mark was wellknown by our grandfathers and fathers. Now rejuvenated, the hobby horse is again winning races.

With the number of pubs serving Rhymney Beers growing daily, its well worth popping in to their newly built brewery and visitor centre in Blaenavon.



Entry fee £2.50 for adults includes a sample of their beer, and children go free. Open 11.30-5.30 every day including Sundays for a self-guided tour. Yvonne or Tasha will be waiting to greet you and help in any way they can.

The location of Rhymney Brewery, close to Big Pit, makes it easy to combine both sites in one trip.

www.rhymneybreweryltd.com

The Dog & Duck Bar at the Visitor Centre

 

Click here for: Site for Valleys Regional Park

 

Tredegar House, Newport, Torfaen

 

Owned by Newport Council, Tredegar House has now been leased for fifty years to the National Trust.  Entry is charged at £7, but I feel it makes excellent value for money compared to previous visits. Many rooms have been furnished, and a plethora of guides are ready to spill the beans on secrets long forgotten.

Rooms are dressed showing varying periods in the life of the house and reflect the changing tastes of the various Lords Tredegar.  The last, being an eccentric, had a menagerie in the garden with a kaymen in his bathroom and, believably, spent all the riches accumulated over the previous years.

The gardens are open to view, and are being improved to an even higher standard than at present. 

The house is built of red brick, which, at the time, was far more expensive and impressive than stonework. Even the stables have a grandeur, so much so that apparently when Prince Charles and Lady Diana visited, their chauffeur stopped outside the stables, believing them to be the house itself.

In the orangery is a table from Cefn Ila Court which was used for XXXX, a game similar to shove-ha'penny.  There would have been cups set along the sides to catch stray discs.  The table has been restored, but still shows the ravages of being stored in a damp cellar for many years.

Fantastic table from 1600's disappears into infinity made from one slice of tree trunk.

 

Volunteers tend the gardens and work throughout the building. It sounds an interesting place to spend your time.

 

 

Caerphilly

Caerphilly is the birth place of the epic comedian Tommy Cooper, and a statue now takes pride of place, unveiled by another famous Welsh personality, Sir Anthony Hopkins.

a floor plaque near the statue of Tommy Cooper

Recently the home of the annual "Big Cheese" Festival, the town has given its name to the white, crumbly Caerphilly Cheese.  The town surrounds the castle which is the second larges in Europe and caters for weddings and functions.  It has an extensive moat providing opportunities for local fishermen, and its tower leans at a greater angle than that of the "Leaning Tower of Pisa," and yet is not so wellknown.

Caerphilly Castle showing its leaning tower

 

The entrance to the castle, one of the largest in Europe, is at the end of a long causeway separating the road from the moat.

 

The causeway between the castle moat and the road