Historic Welsh sites to be linked as themes by CADW

Welsh dolls at Blaenavon Heritage Centre

Stack Square Cottages at Blaenavon Ironworks

CADW have announced a plan to link historic sites around Wales.

As part of their Heritage Tourism Project, plans are afoot to form both physical and thematic links between sites with "Follow the Story" icons.

Plans for South Wales themes include:

Roman remains in Caerleon

"Wales: The First Industrial Nation," featuring Blaenavon Ironworks;
"Roman Conquest, Occupation and Settlement of Wales AD47-410," featuring sites such as Caerleon's amphitheatre, barracks and Roman Baths. 
Llanthony Priory will be included in "Celtic Saints and Sacred Places."

The beauty of the Industrial landscape above Blaenavon

This brings me back to my theme: so much to see and do around the South Wales Valleys.

A celtic cross from Geilligaer Common.

Blaenavon Ironworks

Or should that be Blaenafon Ironworks?

A World Heritage Site since 2000!

An on-site model of the Ironworks in the 1800s

This model shows exactly how large the 'stack' was amongst the cottages of what was later known as 'stack square.' It must have blocked out much of the light from their small windows. Now only the base of it remains. The cottages were used by the BBC for two drama series; "Coal House" and "Coal House at War."  These cottages were built to attract the cream of skilled workers from other regions, but as the site developed and the stack was built, these families moved out into the town, and the area became a less desirable place to live. 

The birth of Heaernpunk !

This fantastic industrial site is in the process of undergoing a little care and attention from CADW and friends. I don't like the word "makeover," as it sounds as though everything is being masked and covered up with lipstick, eye shadow and foundation. Haearnpunk (pronounced Ironpunk) is the term adopted to reflect the decorative industrial style of signage on site.

Remains of one blast furnace

Ore, Blast, Pour, Cast, Iron    
The keywords repeated across the site to convey the process of the iron industry.

In 1789 Hill, Hopkin & Pratt purchased 12,000 acres from the Marquess of Abergavenny. Within four years they had built housing for 200 people. "Build it and they will come," may be a phrase coined in a Kevin Costner film, but that is exactly what happened. Experienced people came from Staffordshire and Shropshire. Local people moved from hard graft on farms to even harder graft in industry.

Water balance raised & lowered materials

Later local man Sidney Gilchrist Thomas along with Percy Carlisle Gilchrist, invented the Bessemer convertor in the 1850s. This process  conquered the problem of iron ore with a high sulphur content, and increased the quality of the steel produced. Unfortunately this solution was used world-wide to solve the same problem, ensuring the expansion of the iron industry in other countries and the eventual demise in 1911 of the iron industry of Blaenavon.

Trees and tin sheds have recently been removed from the site making its location far more obvious as you turn the corner on your way to Big Pit.  Why visit Big Pit and bypass the Ironworks, the heart of the Heritage Site?  Pop in and listen to the voices of characters explaining their part in the creation of iron in the blast furnaces. Admire the over-the-top, highly engineered structure which was the water balance. Enjoy the pit ponies (pawnees, as we say in the valleys), sculpted from waste iron. Soon, too you will be able to enjoy the "Life of Hell,' which will be a furnace experience of making pig iron in all its hot, dirty, noisy, glorious hellishness.

Big Pit was originally sunk to provide iron ore for this ironworks. Later they found coal in huge quantities there and the sales and export of coal overtook that of iron.

Looking up through the water balance

Although this was not the first works to be built in the South Wales Valleys, it was the first which was deliberately planned to have more than one furnace (three in fact).  At its peak it had six.

http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/2175/

http://cadw.wales.gov.uk/daysout/blaenavonironworks/?lang=en

Was Six Bells linked to Titanic?

After the tragedy of Titanic sinking in 1912, the only item allowed to be retrieved from the site was coal. The ship had been fuelled with steam coal. Six Bells Colliery was renowned for its quality steam coal.

Coal

I'm not recommending this, but online you can purchase a medal with a few grains of coal on one side and an image of Titanic on the other. 

The certificate of authenticity provided by these sites shows Six Bells as the source of the coal.

More coal

An excellent story, but...

Research shows coal from the valleys was taken to the ports of Newport and Cardiff by railway, and piled in heaps on the dockside. It was then removed from these heaps and loaded onto steam ships as fuel or cargo (or both). As the heaps would consist of coal from many coal mines, it would be difficult to identify the exact source of the coal.

Even more coal

Also, an online source indicates that a coal strike around the time of the launch of Titanic in 1912, meant there was actually a coal shortage.




To ensure the launch happened as planned, coal was taken from sister ships and loaded onto Titanic. This would appear to make it even harder to identify the source of the coal on Titanic when it sank.






As for me, I like the idea of it being from Six Bells, but I wouldn't put my shirt on it.

Six Bells Colliery was sunk by John Lancaster in 1891 with a team of highly skilled "sinkers" from Somerset. Unfortunately, four men fell to their death during the sinking of the two shafts. It was then known as the Arrael Griffin. The pit closed in 1988 and the site landscaped at the end of the 1990's. The colliery site has reverted back to its original name, and is now known as Parc Arrael Griffin.

On 28 June 1960 an explosion occurred underground killing 45 men. The Guardian memorial was erected by the community in 2010 to commemorate this disaster. The sculpture stands 20 metres high and its history is told in the Heritage Room, located in Ty Ebbw Fach, previously the Coach & Horses Pub which dates back to the 1800's.

www.tyebbwfach.co.uk

www.guardianwales.info

www.pinterest.co.uk/margaretgurney/guardian-six-bells/

Autumn Colours in South Wales

This year the trees seem to be taking their time to give up their chlorophyl and provide us with a show. In the meantime, I thought you might like to see a few pics from last year's glorious show around the area.

I love trees from the small feathery tufts of the exotic Tamarind to the large majestic oak trees and sweet chestnut. But I'm not the only one according to a recent article in the South Wales Argus.

A Welsh Government report states that our woodland covers more than 750,000 acres, with the Valleys showing the highest level of canopy cover.

The Woodlands for Wales Indicators 2012-13 also interestingly states 64 per cent of surveyed adults in Wales reported visiting woodland recreationally in the last few years. Think of all those bike rides, muddy hikes and pleasant strolls we've all enjoyed. Unfortunately I am unable to provide an accurate figures as the newspaper failed to state how many adults were surveyed.

Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen, Caerphilly and Newport all rate tree coverage above the national welsh average, while the town of Pontypool has a special mention as having a particularly high level of coverage.




http://wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/forestry/woodlandsforwales/?lang=en

 

St Iltyd's Church, Brynithel

Situated 1200 feet above sea level, St Illtyd's Church is Grade 2 listed, and comes with spectacular views across to Welsh valleys.  The first wooden church on this site was erected in the 5th Century. In the late 12th Century the White Monks rebuilt this stone church. Inside you will find a stone font dating back to the 9th Century.

 

Because of the circular churchyard, it is believed that the site may have been used for religious activity before Christianity came to Wales. This churchyard is a conservation area with a variety of rare plants and meadow flowers growing amongst the gravestones.

 

St Illtyd, the patron saint was born in Brittany in 420AD and came to Wales as a Knight and consecrated a Bishop in 463AD. He was also the founder of the Monastery at Llantwit Major and toured Wales preaching until he was killed at Crickhowell. Monks carried his body to Croslands, Mamhilad.

St Illtyd is said by some to have been the first cousin of King Arthur.

Near to the Chuch is a "tump" or a large mound (also known as a "motte") which may have been a fortification. At the rear of the Church, in a nearby field can be seen the remains of a ruined castle, Castell Tailorum, dating to the 13th century. Stories abound of tunnels emanating from this castle to a nearby hostelry and a farm. Both of these structures are on private land, but can be viewed from the churchyard.

Famous visitors to the church include:

Queen Anne

Sarah Churchill

Duchess of Marlborough

Archdeacon Coxe

John Wesley, 18th Century Preacher

King Charles 1st

Oliver Cromwell

The Friends of St Illtyd's work in partnership with Blaenau Gwent Council, ensuring the Church is open on Sunday afternoons (2.30pm to 4.30pm) from Easter to October.

For information from Friends of St Illtyd's Church, tel: 01495 320367
Blaenau Borough Council tel: 01495 355937/355972
www.illtyd.co.uk
email: friends@illtyd.co.uk
tourism@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
heritage@blaeau-gwent.gov.uk
Access is via valley roads and a steep narrow lane or across the mountain from neighbouring valleys.

St Illtyd's Church,
St Illtyd,
Aberbeeg,
Abertillery,
Blaenau Gwent NP13 2AY

The Workhouse

We all think of the Workhouse as something from long ago, history even. But an institution from the past can still be seen today.  Just down the road from where I live, this building is still in existence and in regular use - as part of a local hospital. The inside has been updated, but the outside still remains pretty much original.

Link to a blog entry from relatives of a couple who ran the Workhouse.  Also includes great pictures taken around 1910:

http://oldpontypool.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/more-news-about-panteg-hospital-as-workhouse-and-military-hospital-in-ww-1/

Newport Transporter Bridge

View of the gondola with empty platform



View along the top of the structure, showing both walkways.

One of only nine in the world, this bridge was designed to accommodate the passage of shipping with the huge rise and fall in tide on the river Usk.  Passengers and cars are transported across on a gondola suspended by cables from an overhead structure.

View of one bridge from another



To prove I was there !

 

 

View of the gondola from above.

 


This bridge is no longer part of the Highways and road transport section of Newport Council, but has been designated a tourist attraction.

A few times a year the pedestrian walkway over the bridge is opened for visitors at a small charge. This year, despite my fear of heights, I took the plunge, or rather the climb. Pushing my fear to one side and tightly grasping metalwork wherever possible, I managed to take a few photographs for you to enjoy.


It was a wonderful day with no wind and plenty of sunshine, so crowds of people took the opportunity to either ridein the gondola or climb the many steps to the top.  The friends of the bridge dressed for the occasion and they have a shop on site for information and souveniers.

 

Everything in one place !

South Wales Valleys are B E A U T I F U L !!

 

Abertillery Valley from the base of Guardian

They have everything !!

Coastal and inland scenery unsurpassed anywhere.
Huge beaches and tiny coves.
Tropical temperatures (well this summer, anyway!)
Short walks, long walks, upland walks, flat walks.

The largest miners' memorial in the world.

Guardian, Six Bells, (tall as Angel of the North, 20 mtrs.)

Excellent food.
Cream cakes, fresh fruit and veg., even a chocolate factory.
Good pubs with unusual local brews.
Variety of places to stay from camping to luxury hotels.
Waterfalls
Canals
Leaning Tower (more than Pisa)

Caerphilly Castle, home of the leaning tower

Cycle paths and off-road tracks

Sheep (not that many cows, but alpacas).

 Wide roads with easy driving and narrow roads with passing places.

Cultivated parks and gardens and wild mountainsides and common land.

Steam trains.

 

Shopping in cities or in small local boutiques and markets.
Towns with free parking.
Wonderful wild flowers and exotic cultivated species.

Nantyglo Round Tower

Castles and Manor Houses (ruined and otherwise)
Friendly people willing to chat, and those who are less so, (you get them everywhere).
Industrial heritage.
National and local museums.
Underground experiences with a fully trained coal miner.

Busy places.
Quiet places to be alone to think.

All this

concentrated

within an hour or two's drive.

View of Kidwelly

 

You can travel from Kidwelly in the west to Pontypool in the east in around one and a half hours. But think of all the wonderful places you'll pass by if you do that. 

http://www.fieldsintrust.org/Default.aspx