Pontypool Park History

Pontypool park covers some 64 hectares and was originally laid out around 1703 as a private estate, belonging to the Hanbury's.

An old ‘map’ informs us that  avenues of sweet chestnut and beech follow the contours of the valleys up towards the Folly Tower.

 

A really old tree on the walkway to Pontymoile entrance

Many of the veteran sweet chestnuts are still visible, surrounding the Nant-y-Gollen ponds and close to the Gorsedd Stone Circle and are reputedly the largest specimens this far north. They were originally planted to produce charcoal for the iron forges along the Afon Lwyd river.

During the next 100 years, new plantings of chestnuts, oak, beech and yew were introduced obscuring the formal avenues and creating the wooded areas along the river and main path to Pontymoile. (Site of those wonderful gates.)

Conifer plantations were introduced during the 1950-60’s and left unmanaged and this combined with the growth of many of the original plantings, has altered the landscape to a predominantly mature wooded park with some open meadowland.

In the middle of the 20^th century the Park passed into public ownership for the benefit of the community of Pontypool.

The Park contains a number of historic areas including the Italian Gardens, Tramway Tunnel, Ice Houses and Shell Grotto. The Shell Grotto was built around 1829 by Molly Mackworth as a summerhouse, some 200m above the surrounding area and enjoys stunning views across open countryside and the Severn Estuary.

The Grotto and close-by Folly Tower are both open to the public on special days through the year.

Roamin' in Caerleon

It has taken a while for me to get around to writing about Caerleon and its Roman Ruins. The publicity machine seems to work for this area more than most of South Wales.  This does not take anything from the sights on offer here. Archaeologists recently found a large port on the banks of the river Usk here.  In Roman times Caerleon would have been an extremely large town, if not a city, as well as a fort with a huge number of soldiers defending Rome's extreme western border from the welsh hooligans.

The Roman Amphitheatre, now grassed over, would once have been a spectacular arena for games, sports, parades and fighting in front of crowds of people. You can stroll around and picnic for free. Please take your litter home.

Just a short distance away are the foundations of the barracks, complete with latrines, and kitchens. Each square is a room, but soldiers would have had to share their space.

The remains of the Roman Baths are now undercover with interesting storyboards and artefacts on display.

There is an impressive museum building with roman pillars outside the entrance. It contains many interesting artefacts as well as souvenirs and books for children.  Roman helmets and swords are always popular.

One of the most fascinating exhibits to my mind is the large quantity of minute natural stone lozenges found  in the drains of the Roman Baths. As you can see, some are very intricately carved and would have been really expensive. But what are they?

They are tiny semi-precious stones which have fallen unnoticed from rings on the fingers of bathers whilst they enjoyed the warm water. Even though the technology existed to carve intricate expensive designs, we are told the only way to hold them in place in a finger-ring would be with wax.  This wax would, of course, have melted with the heat of the water. Hence the number of wonderful stones found down the drain!  Congratulations to the very sharp-eyed finder. 

Wales, the best country in the world for walking !

Pathway at Blaensychan, Pontnewynydd

Ramblers Cymru, the welsh arm of the ramblers organisation (link below) are trying to establish Wales as the number one country in the world for walking. Their aim is for good footpaths and access to natural landscapes such as forests and rivers. We already have a phenomenal amount of walking space, whether its prepared pathways or across country and mountain for the more adventurous.  Please wear appropriate clothing as our weather can be changeable, especially if you are climbing/walking mountains.

 Mon & Brecon Canal and tow path

 Nick Smith, MP for Blaenau Gwent has said:

 "Blaenau Gwent is one of the most beautiful areas

 in Wales if not the world, and I want people to access it."

"Campaigns such as this deserve as many people as 

possible to get involved, because we can unlock the

world around us and become even more connected to 

the borough."

Moss-laden wall along the old railway line pathway 

Blaenau Gwent is only one small part of beautiful South Wales. All the counties have their own special places and scenery:  Torfaen with Pontypool's Park;  Monmouthshire with the Wye Valley;  Caerphilly with its castle to name just a very small number of places you can visit.

http://www.ramblers.org.uk/en/campaign-with-us/wales-for-walking.aspx

Leighton Andrews, Assembly Member for the Rhondda mentioned the campaign in his blog, and has shown his support by becoming a member.

http://www.leightonandrews.com/?p=2070

Does a fairy live here?  Located in Llanyrafon park

Medals for Six Bells Mining Hero

On the 21 October 1948, Arthur Bobbett from Aberbeeg risked his life to crawl beneath a fallen roof support at Six Bells Colliery to help rescue a fellow miner, Hubert George Light.  Despite pleas from comrades and superiors to desist, Arthur continued over 45 minutes to free the trapped Hubert.

According to an article in the London Gazette, Arthur was so exhausted he had to be taken home via ambulance.

Sadly within six weeks, Arthur was also killed by a roof fall in Six Bells Pit.

But his bravery did not go unseen.  Posthumously he received the Edward Medal for gallantry from the King, the Order of Industrial Heroism from the Daily Herald and a contribution from the Carnegie Hero Fund Trust.

For the full story click below on the Abertillery Museum website.


http://www.abertilleryanddistrictmuseum.org.uk/bobbett.html

The Durham Mining Museum provides an account of these events from the London Gazette.

http://www.dmm.org.uk/galantry/z448.htm

Arthur Bobbett's medals are proudly on display at the Abertillery museum.

Abertillery Museum is full of interesting displays. Beware the lady scrubbing her front step, or the miner bathing in front of the fire. You may be able to scrub his back!

Look in the local press for details of interesting speakers.

No attribution could be found for this newspaper clipping. Should anyone have a problem with my
using it, it can be removed immediately.

Chartism and the Valleys

The 175th Anniversary of the South Wales Rising of 1839 is being celebrated with a monthly newsletter during 2014. Each month information is included on both current and future events as well as historical ones. Much of the historical data has only recently been uncovered, found both here and in Australia.

Each document includes far too much information to condense suitably into such a small space as this.

To sign up for your own monthly copy, contact Les on the following e-mail address:        

les.james22@gmail.com

I'm sure he will give you a very warm welcome. He would also appreciate any publicity you can
give to his specialist subject and these events by circulating his newsletter which is available in pdf format.

Celebrating the Chartists
NEWSLETTER

A list of contents of the current edition is listed below:

2014 is the 175th Anniversary of the south Wales Rising 1839

Major Stories:

• Newport Chartist Commission appointed
• Anniversary plans roll out across the region
• Shire Hall wants a video link with Tasmania

New Features:

• Digital Chartist Sources
• Book of the Month

175 Years Ago:
Henry Vincent on Tour - Gloucestershire to Monmouthshireand What's in Newport Museum?  Silver Cups for Thomas Phillips

EMAIL to your friends   RECOMMEND they join the mailing list
ADVERTISE the NEWSLETTER - available FREE online
ADVERTISE the EVENTS listed on Page 9
PUT NEWSLETTER on Websites
REQUEST copies are available in your local library

NB  The Newsletter is a voluntary enterprise without funds.   We are not able to provide printed Newsletters
A FREE High Quality Definition PDF Version (4.81 MB)
is NOW available on request

for anyone wishing to produce printed copies.

Pontypool Park

Gates at the Pontymoile entrance

This park, once part of the grounds of the Hanbury Estate, was donated to the people of Pontypool. It has two sets of wonderful wrought iron gates. 

Pontymoile was the original entrance to Pontypool Park House. There was a lodge adjacent to the river which was demolished in the 1950s. 

The gates here are Grade II listed by CADW and affectionately known as the 'Sally' gates.  'Sally' was the Duchess of Marlborough. Local legend has it that the gates were a present to the Hanbury family for their help with the execution of her husbands estate. 

Research has shown the columns and gates were made around 1850 but were altered in later years as can be seen by the dog bars. These were possibly to allow larger carriages and then motorised vehicles  into the park.

An article in December 1993 Free Press stated that Dr T E Deakin produced the specification for the gates in 1835. This was found in the papers of Mr Stanley Tudor Roderick, a well known Pontypool musician and band master. (The bandstand in the park is erected in the memory of Mr Roderick and the musical contribution he made to the town.)

Bandstand erected in memory of Stanley Tudor Roderick

Of particular interest are the columns either side of the Pontymoile gates. They are adorned with grapes and vines which would have been gilded, along with the acanthus leaves and finials at the top of the gates themselves.

The original colour of the gates was likely to have been green, maroon or blue, hence the verdigris green colour today.  (I can remember when they were renovated several years ago. They were painted black with gilding on the grapes and vines and looked even more grand than they do today.)

Details from the gate opposite the Town Hall

A second set of gates greets visitors entering the park opposite Pontypool Town Hall. They display poppy wreaths for Remembrance Sunday, and help to illustrate the grandeur of a once wealthy Pontypool. Wealthy from iron and coal, now both long gone.

A pensive actor playing Lord Hanbury
standing in front of the gates
during a talk on Chartism by Les James

Pontypool Museum Needs You !!

20% cut in funding !

A membership drive was launched this week to avoid the museum closing. A temporary measure could mean it would need to close for a day on weekends, unless funds can be found. They are looking for 1000 new members to ensure Torfaen's history remains here for future generations.

Membership fee £15 per year
Family membership £20
Business, Institution or Club annual fee £60

For details visit Pontypool Museum near the Old Town Bridge or tel: 01495 752036
e-mail:  Pontypoolmuseum@hotmail.com

LATER NOTE:  I would like to thank the readers of this blog and Facebook links for showing their support and becoming members of Pontypool Museum. You do not have to live in Wales to join. The museum has members from all over the world who receive regular newsletters and information.

A fabulous display of local Japan Ware permanently on display 

The Mary Challenger Art Exhibition starts today (7 March 2014). Mary began sketching in her later life, and was known to sit quietly in the corner of a room working away with care and skill, producing images with real character.  Her figures tell their own story without the need for words.  An image I recall from a previous exhibition is an artist sketching a sculpture and in turn becoming the artist's model for another artist. Even her back views tell a thousand words.  A dear lady who's work alone is well worth a visit to Pontypool Museum.

A commemorative display of artefacts, photographs and medals from WWI has already started the drive for increased visitor numbers.


An Evening with Eddy Butler has been arranged for later in March. The TV Personality and ex-Rugby Player will tell tales from his past career to help raise funds and membership of this interesting museum.


The Vintage Tearoom is always a hit with visitors. You can enjoy coffee and a welsh cake or even afternoon tea, complete with iced cakes and scones on a tiered cake stand.

Pontypool Park, South Wales

Pontypool Park remains one of my childhood's lasting memories as a place of wonder and excitement. There was the cherry tree walk in spring, collecting chestnuts with my Dad in the autumn, swinging on the swings at any time of the year, watching the bowls with the teams kitted out in white.

After this wet winter, everything looks a little sad and soggy, but with a few fine days and a little breeze I'm sure things will perk up.

I recently found a treasure hiding behind the renovated pond. Rather green and slimy, but nevertheless, carved stones in remembrance of the now demolished Pontypool & District Hospital. As a child, walking up to the large wooden front doors of this grand gothic piece of architecture, you couldn't help but know you'd be cured of whatever it was that ailed you.

The white plaque in this picture provides a rough idea of the stature of the original structure.  Standing high above the road it was a really majestic building.

These stones, sited probably a mile away from the original site may not even be noticed for anything more than a few bench seats by the casual passerby. But for those who knew the hospital in its heyday, nurses scurrying about long green painted corridors, doctors with stethoscopes around their necks disappearing through closed doors, these stones will always be a reminder, no matter how hard nature tries to conceal them.

The Road to Wales

coming home

The winter of 2013/4 is officially the wettest on record, with rain possibly every day for months on end. In places the amount expected for a month was falling in one day. The result was extensive flooding around many rivers in Wales and England.

Farmland, now a lake

Having included many aspects of South Wales in this blog I felt I should also include this particular phenomenon. Perhaps it will be a regular occurrence every winter, or just a one-off. We shall see. As I travelled back to Wales the other day, I took an opportunity to photograph some of this flooding.

Swans making themselves at home...

Although the Welsh always complain about the rain, it is the reason our countryside looks so green and lush most of the year.

The historic bridge at Monmouth. The water subsiding.

Swans are enjoying this impromptu island, created by the debris brought down the river by the extensive flood waters. When it was safe to do so, this was cleared away, to help water flow.

Monmouth football field (water polo?)

Now, in March the pattern of storms seems to have changed and we have had a few sunny days, but the ground everywhere is still sodden and once grassy expanses have become muddy bogs. The feet of people and dogs and horses hooves just ploughing up footpaths to make them impassable.

At the moment, if you come to Wales to enjoy the countryside, then bring your wellies!

View of river Usk from the ancient bridge

Newport Wetlands

Lots to see

This week the wetlands were swarming with brightly coloured birds. Not just mallards on the ponds, but crayoned masks covering faces of children enjoying the outdoors and warm toasty cafe.

The air was filled with shrieks of laughter and shouts of excitement. The paths were awash with pushchairs and children kitted out in wellies and anoraks.

A coot hidden in the reed beds

This was half-term.  Generally this area is a place of quiet solitude. The odd dog-walker or jogger visible on the perimeter with birdspotters heading out amongst the reed beds towards the nearest hide, their cameras at the ready and tripods balanced over their shoulders.



Run by the RSPB, the shop provides information on birds you are likely to see as well as food and equipment to encourage wildlife into your own garden.  At half-term  they also provide paper and crayons and throughout the year arrange interesting projects for all the family to enjoy.

Judith James is the Artist in Residence 2014 and a selection of her paintings can be seen at the RSPB Newport Wetlands Centre.  She is regularly on site painting and drawing, holding 'open studio' sessions. Later in the year, as her project develops, she will be holding workshops for children and for adults.

For more information on Judith James, use the link below:

www.saa.co.uk/art/judithjames

Visits to the Wetlands are free of charge, but projects do incur a small charge.

Band Together

                          The Jerome Gatehouse Collection Trust, A Military Band Archive

Collage of Jerome and part of his collection

A steelworker from Cwm near Ebbw Vale, Jerome Gatehouse had one huge passion, beside his wife. It was anything and everything to do with military bands, no matter where in the world they were. He started with the aim of obtaining a photograph of every military band in Great Britain. Then, while still in his early thirties, he was forced to give up work so he began his lifelong quest.  This resulted in the largest known collection of military band memorabilia int the world.

More of the collection

Behind the front door of a small terraced house in Newport sits the result of his labours. Over 40,000 items including hundreds of LPs, tapes and videos as well as framed pictures, dress uniforms, helmets, instruments and millions of pieces of paper and journals.

Jerome wrote, but never published, his history of military bands, which lies in files tucked safely away.

The collection has been partly catalogued and a database is being constructed, but what it really needs is a home where it can be exhibited and enjoyed by visitors. At the moment its combined weight is risking the joists of the upper floors of Ann Gatehouse's home.


A new round of Newsletters are planned, the first on the theme of the First World War.

To find out more you can contact the Jerome Gatehouse Collection Trust at:

email:   gatehousecollection@ntlworld.com

www.jeromegatehousecollection.org.uk

The collection contains the histories of no less than 2,000 bands, including those of every British 1st and 2nd Battalion and Staff Bands.

With the current round of cutbacks and redundancies from our armed forces, this collection has even more relevance.  Here they keep the memories and experiences of generations for the generations to come.