Elaine Morgan, The Descent of Woman

A Welsh Heroine

Elaine Morgan was born in Pontypridd in 1920 and educated at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, where she read English. She was a lecturer for the Workers' Educational Association until 1945, after which she became a freelance writer. Her early reputation was established as a playwright and screenwriter, but in 1972 the publication of "The Descent of Woamn" placed her in the international limelight.

It was a best seller and followed by "The Aquatic Ape" (1982), "The Scars of Evolution" (1990), "The Descent of the Child" (1994), and "The Aquatic Ape Hypothesis" (1997).

These books caused great controversy at the time, that she should dare to question opinions expressed by experts in the field. But that didn't stop her expressing her opinions on chat shows and in interviews.

She successfully adapted works for BBC Wales television, such as "How Green was my Valley" (1976), and "The Life and Times of Lloyd George" (1980).

More recently she lived in Mountain Ash in the Welsh Valleys and was a regular contributor to the Western Mail newspaper.

Elaine Morgan died July 2013, aged 92.

picture copyright of "Great Thoughts Treasury."

Mervyn ‘Sandy’ Griffiths (1909-1974)

January 2014 saw Sandy receiving local recognition for his work as an international football referee. A blue plaque was unveiled on the wall of Ty Ebbw Fach Heritage Centre in his honour.  It was not possible to place it on his home (possibly on Aberbeeg Road) as it has been demolished.

copyright of Worldreferees.com

Benjamin Mervyn ‘Sandy’ Griffiths first took up a teaching post in Devon but soon returned to Newport, South Wales and began his refereeing career in 1934 in local leagues. Within five seasons (1939) he was appointed to the Football League list as a linesman and, after the War, refereed the England versus Scotland clash in 1949, and then the 1953 FA Cup Final, otherwise known as the Matthews Final. It was his decision, with two minutes remaining, that enabled Stan Mortenson to equalise from a free-kick awarded just outside the penalty area.

Griffiths represented Wales at the 1950, 1954 and 1958 World Cup Finals. In the first of these he appeared in the opening fixture, and in the second took charge of the semi-final between Hungary and Uruguay and assisting William Ling in the final. In the closing minutes of the match, and with the score at 3-2 to the West Germans, Griffiths flagged Hungary's Ferenc Puscas offside, just as he beat Toni Turek in the German goal.

He was the first Welshman to referee an international at Wembley, the first from his country to referee an FA Cup Final, and the only Welshman to appear in a World Cup final.

http://www.monra.co.uk/history.htm

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

Sandy was active internationally from 1949 until 1958. He ended his domestic career in 1959. In January 1974 Benjamin Mervyn Griffiths (known as Sandy), died at the age of 65.

Welcome to Wales !!

Although part of Great Britain, Wales is a separate country with its own Parliament, the Senedd, in Cardiff Bay, and its own ancient Celtic language.  Many tourists are surprised and confused to see strange words written on our roads and on our road signs.

In the late 19th and early 20th century the Welsh language was decried and nearly stamped out in favour of English.  Men working in coal mines were punished for speaking their own tongue, because their English masters were afraid they were plotting against them.  Children in school would be punished by having to wear the "Welsh Knot," around their neck if caught speaking Welsh.  This would be passed from one miscreant pupil to another as they each broke the rule.  The "Welsh Knot" was a wooden sign threaded on rope and hung around the child's neck for all to see.

The Welsh language persisted in North and West Wales but was crushed in the South Wales Valleys.  In the second half of the 20th century attitudes towards speaking Welsh began to change.  Lessons in Welsh began to appear on school curricula, even Welsh schools were set up, both for children and in the evenings for adults.  Advertisements for jobs in local government insisted the candidates could speak Welsh, even though they would be dealing with people speaking English.

Now we have dual language road signs, dual language utility bills, public information notices, voting papers, even tourist information leaflets.  Telephone operators in public offices answer the phone using both Welsh and English.

S4C is our TV Station, showing programmes in the Welsh language with English translations on the 'red button,' or in subtitles.

Walk around any town in South East Wales and you may hear the language being spoken, but you are more likely to hear Polish or even Urdu.

But whatever language you wish to converse in, the welsh are always ready to provide a warm friendly welcome.

          Croeso i Gymru !!         Welcome to Wales !!

Walk in Wales

The landscape of South Wales ranges from intimate narrow valleys to the broad sweep of mountain ranges.  Anything which helps people to enjoy and participate in this landscape has to be a good thing.

The recent TV serial "Hinterland," is located in Aberystwyth and its hinterland.  Scenes show both coastal and mountain areas in all their beauty.  I know this is already encouraging people to visit Wales and enjoy it for themselves.

Mid January 2014 saw the launch of a website using high quality mapping to show trails across Wales in great detail as well as nearby facilities and attractions.

The website includes 15 National trails extend to 2,500 miles across Wales and England.
3 of these trails are in Wales.

Day walks, itineraries and ideas for activities and geocaching trails can all easily be downloaded to allow visitors and families to organise their route.

Businesses can advise viewers of services they provide and their own breaking news stories.

www.nationaltrail.co.uk


Offa's Dyke Path is one of the trails included on this website.

www.nationaltrail.co.uk/offas-dyke-path

The Silver River

The Afon Llwyd, meaning silver or pewter river, is one of the fastest flowing rivers in the United Kingdom.  You would find very little satisfaction at this time of year in trying to play "Poo Sticks" from any of its bridges.  

The surface of the water dips, plunges, and breaks into back-flows, carrying stones and branches along in its wake.  Occasionally slow pools form behind huge rocks in the bank, previously planted to protect it on bends and curves from the forces of the rushing water.

Despite these precautions, the water exaggerates the river's curves, soil and stones from the bank being viciously washed downstream to be dumped en masse. Barriers are created, reducing the river's width.  In these narrow gullies the water scours the river bed, driving faster and deeper, increasing the potential danger for anyone tempted to wander out into the river's path on these stoney outcrops.

Trees lean into the river, clinging to the waterlogged banks.  The tangle of exposed roots reflect the branches above, until gravity and wind ensures the trees plunge into the icy water.

Dr Who ?

Yes, it seems even someone who has the whole Universe to choose from, enjoys visiting South Wales.

Records show Dr Who spends much more time here than would be required just to vanquish the odd alien or two.

A recent South Wales Argus article to mark the 50th anniversary of the science fiction TV series listed numerous haunts around Gwent which he particularly seems to like and has revisited over several years.

This Dalek in the stable block of Tredegar House awaits his return...

Tredegar House, has been used several times of the years.  It has masqueraded as the HQ of the British Rocket Group, a dungeon, a London street on Christmas Eve 1851, a school (which it genuinely had been in an earlier life), and a stately home visited by Agatha Christie in 1926.

Cardiff Bay houses the Dr Who Experience and was the home of the spin-off series Torchwood, starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness.

Tredegar House, a haunt of Dr Who

Dr Who fans can walk in the foot steps of their hero by visiting around 70 locations in Gwent alone, including:

Newport Cathedral (visited 2008),
Raglan Castle
Chepstow Castle (50th Ann edition)
Tredegar House
Diverse Records, Charles Street Newport (Nov. 2006)
Duffryn High School (Aug 2005)
Gaer Infants & Nursery School, Newport

Reportedly, one of the scariest locations used was Fields House, a link to photographs of the Newport listed building are given below:

http://www.doctorwholocations.net/album/fieldshouse

http://www.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk

Llanyrafon Un-boating Lake

The boating lake was probably created in the 1960s but has had huge ups and a few downs.  At one time the lake would be surrounded by fishermen's tents while teenagers giggled and jostled in small rowing boats, now there are signs not to disturb the wildlife and dogs to be kept on leads.

Beautiful lake

How fantastic, this Boxing Day, to see so many families enjoying the children's play area, the skateboarding park and the riverside walks.  A few years ago you would be lucky to see half a dozen people, and then only because they were walking their dogs.

The cafe was working full-out to cope with everyone wanting coffee, tea or hot chocolate with a choice of sitting inside or out.  The outside patio enjoys a view of the lake with people feeding the mallards, the Canada geese and, of course, the ever present sea gulls.

Imagine the sound of a caring Gran warning a small child not to throw themselves
in with the bread.

The sky was clear and the frost had cleared from the grass, so everyone was trying to walk-off their Christmas turkey. Every child, it seemed, had a bicycle or scooter.  One two year old had been given a red ride-in car for Christmas, but although he would stand beside it, Mum and Dad were having trouble trying to actually get him to sit inside it.  Fascinating to watch !  When they saw it in the shop, they probably thought he would love it.

More seagulls than ducks and geese

The Afon Llwyd runs alongside.

Amongst the trees, on the river bank, blackbirds were everywhere in the leaf-litter.  The females were almost invisible, pecking and moving the leaves and then tugging at a long juicy worm.

Torfaen's cycle path policy has brought benefits around the County.  The newly resurfaced pathways ensure a clean dry walk for families unwilling or unfamiliar with walking in the countryside.  Perhaps they will enjoy it so much, they will be tempted to explore further afield and enjoy the lanes and grassy slopes of our wonderful hills and mountains.

The river looks cold despite the warm sunshine.
One of the fastest flowing rivers in the country.

The Brynmawr Experiment, South Wales

The Brynmawr Museum has information on an unusual point of interest:

It was known as "The Brynmawr Experiment."
During the late 1920's a number of crafts and industries were established at Brynmawr in what was then south Brecknockshire, and now Blaenau Gwent.  They became known later as the Brynmawr and Clydach Valley Industries and included bookmaking, weaving, stocking-knitting, quilting and agricultural ventures for the benefit of the local people.

By far the most successful venture was the establishment of a furniture workshop that produced thousands of distinctive pieces of furniture during the period 1930-40. Brynmawr furniture became popular throughout Britain and is still held in high esteem when considering the social and artistic history of Wales.

The social context led a group of Quakers to settle in this area and attempt to assist the local people by providing work and practical help to alleviate the problems caused by the 1920's depression.

In 1928, Peter Scott, the Secretary of the Home Service Committee of the Society of Friends visited Brynmawr and the neighbouring valleys with a group of young Quakers. The Friends had already established a handful of small businesses and industries in depressed areas in an effort to alleviate the serious problems caused by unemployment and the resulting poverty witnessed in South Wales.  It was Scott and his colleagues, however, who were to establish new ventures in the Brynmawr district, having encountered the effects of poverty on the people of the area.  The first practical help came in the form of financial aid, food and clothes from the Friends' Relief Fund.  This was seen as the initial step to gain the confidence of the local people to co-operative in a venture that would help restore hope and self respect to the community.



Cardiff Naturalist's Society commissioned a bardic chair from the Brynmawr Furniture Makers fir the Cardiff Eisteddfod in 1938.  The chair was to be made from oak grown in Wales and by welsh craftsmen.

A small committee of experts representing the society and the 1938 Eisteddfod worked alongside the Brynmawr Furniture Makers to be responsible for the design.

Made from natural oak, the chair's seat and central splat of the back is from natural hide.

The chair was awarded to Gwilym R Jones for his poem "Rwy'n edrych dros y bryniau pell."


Opening Hours
Thursday 10.00-1.00 & 2.00-4.00
Friday     10.00-1.00 & 2.00-4.00
Saturday  10.00-1.00


Situated in Market Square, Brynmawr, Blaenau Gwent, NP23 4AJ
Tel: 01495 313900







http://www.brynmawrmuseum.co.uk