Blaenavon in detail

Lots of detail and fascinating landscapes of the area of Blaenavon shown in all its splendour.




http://www.ggat.org.uk/cadw/historic_landscape/blaenavon/english/Blaenavon_Main.htm

Capel Newydd, Blaenavon, South Wales

This small cross marks the site of Capel Newydd (New Chapel), Blaenavon’s earliest known place of Christian worship. The chapel dates to medieval times but little is known about its history. Local legend says it was built by some maidens from Varteg. Sermons continued to be held there in Welsh until the 1860s, when it was finally abandoned. Stone from the chapel was used to build St Paul’s Church in 1893, which also contains a Welsh Bible, the chapel key and stone altar from Capel Newydd.

Blaenavon Community Heritage Museum image

history of Capel Newydd & St Peters

Blaenavon Cycle Path

Beautiful stonewalling glowing in the sunshine.

A lone bird's nest providing a fantastic view of the valley below.

Carrying coal and iron as well as passengers this was the route of the railway line from Blaenavon through to Pontypool and beyond.

Peaceful

The old railway line was closed by Mr Beeching a long time ago, but over the last few years it has been turned into a cycle path/walking route.  The whole route extends from Cwmbran up through the valley to Blaenavon.

Last week we braved the rain and walked from Blaenavon railway station down to Talywain. Not far, but it rained as we reached the car.

Exact stonework, no spaces or damaged stones.

This section of the route provides fantastic scenery across the valley and clues to the original use of the pathway still exist;  expertly faced stonework, and remnants of the old station at Cwmavon, complete with stone luggage.

Safety space to allow trains to pass

The Mossy bank was the old platform edge

A large machine attached to a tractor was cutting, or rather slashing at the hedges on either side, leaving the ragged remains to regrow in the warmer weather.




Stone sculptures positioned on the old station to replicate someone's  luggage.  It really does capture a small part of the atmosphere of the old station

Hat Box

Hill's Tramroad - Blaenavon to Llanfoist

Hill's Tramroad was an important highway from the early 1800's.  It ensured the efficient and speedy transportation of iron from Glandyrys ironworks, limestone from Pwll Du Quarry and coal from Big Pit to Llanfoist quay where it could be loaded onto barges and taken by the Monmouthshire & Brecon Canal down to Newport for export.  Previously cargo had been taken down the valley to join the canal at Pontypool, but the Mon & Brecon managers made a deal to take goods at a cheaper rate, even though the goods would still need to be hauled through Pontypool to Newport.

Keeper's Pond, Blaenavon

Our walk was part of the Living Landscapes Project and we started at Keeper's Pond on the road from Blaenavon to Abergavenny. On a clear, sunlit winter's day, we were surrounded by wide views extending many miles into the welsh landscape. A wonderful day for exploring with a knowledgeable guide and adequate clothing, but this mountain is exposed to all winds and weathers.  It would have been an extremely hard life working here every day in clothing made from wool.  Very little shelter would have existed for the men walking or riding the tram road.

We descended on a pathway on the opposite side of the road from the car park. Gradually we descended until we were surrounded by the walls of a deep valley.

Representation of Garndyrys Ironworks, image located at Keeper's Pond

Iron 'bears' left below Garndyrys

The tram road followed the contours of the mountainside like a bright green ribbon against the browning bracken banks. The metal rails have all but disappeared, but the stones which anchored them, if you look carefully, can still be found along the route.  Sometimes they still lie in long rows with bolt holes and on the incline grooves can be found from the ropes or chains which helped haul the trams.

Along the way our guide, Tom Maloney, pointed out piles of stone which would have been strategic buildings along the tram road. There were also the remains of well-structured retaining walls, still holding the bank at bay. He explained that where the tramway dropped below the slag dumping areas, the men built tunnels to protect the tramway and users from debris from the works.

Its difficult, standing on a green mountainside, surrounded by glorious views and peaceful countryside, to imagine it as the site of a busy, noisy ironworks full of men taking large amounts of ironstone, limestone and coal and producing iron.

Trees now mask much of this industrial roadway and almost hide the slope of the incline, but if trees were here when the tram road was in use they would have caused problems of leaf-litter, obstruction by growing too close to the tram road, and delay by falling on the tramway. Any of these problems would have delayed the horse-drawn trams and cost the owners and leaders money.

Remaining stone built tunnel, possibly to protect the tram road

Tom pointed out a couple of tunnels, but they would be almost invisible to anyone walking the pathway without knowledge of the scene.

The exact description of the transport is unknown, but could have consisted of between one and three trucks, being hauled by between one and three horses, depending on the cargo. The lead horse would probably have had a man walking alongside.

Depending on the terrain, the track could have been single in places and double in others, allowing traffic both ways.

Stones extending into the distance, spaced at regular intervals,
The ground in constant shadow, still covered in frost.

At Llanfoist a mock-up of trucks awaits our debate. Unfortunately, we have more questions than answers.
How big would they have been?
How many would have been linked together? How much iron would they have held?
How many horses would have been used?





Our first glimpse of the canal appears with a  canal-keepers cottage, sited to view traffic approaching from the tram road as well as along the canal from Brecon.

An ancient tunnel still exists underneath the house and the canal.  A strange place to walk, thinking of all those who have been through there over the last 200 years.

a mock-up of trams 

The entrance to the tunnel beneath the canal and then the house.

www.visitblaenavon.co.uk

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

Big Pit National Coal Museum, Blaenavon, South Wales

30 years as a mining museum, April 2013

A virtual miner talks you through the galleries



Waiting to descend in the cage

Situated on the mountain above Blaenavon, Big Pit celebrated its 30th anniversary in April.  After this coal mine ceased production, it re-opened in 1983 as a private museum.  Now part of the National Museum of Wales, members of the public can experience descending in the original pit cage to a depth of 90 feet beneath the Welsh countryside.  Former miners work as Tour Guides to ensure a full appreciation of the hard dangerous work of the coal miner, complete with jokes, wisecracks and humour along the way.  The underground tour, wearing safety helmet and light with lighting pack, includes the stables where pit ponies were housed until replaced by machinery.



Pithead Baths with towels

Opened in 1880, over its productive lifetime this pit produced around a quarter of a million tons of saleable coal a year.

Above ground, to add to the visitor's experience, the pithead baths, and lamp room still remain, complete with canaries, alongside the canteen, which now serves as a child friendly cafe.

For those who may not wish to descend underground, there are walk-in galleries, providing an illustration, complete with commentary and visual effects of the work underground.

The mist came down as we were leaving.

The shop stocks excellent quality products, including jewellery, china and soft toys.  Ideal to find a reminder of your visit, or an unusual gift.

Blaenavon Visitors' Centre, South Wales

Based in a renovated school building, Blaenavon Visitors' Centre is modern and inviting.  Although parking opposite is limited, there is a large parking area just down the hill.   Everything is on a slope in Blaenavon.

The automatic door opens onto an area with slate flooring and a Reception area where you receive a cheery smile and can purchase momentoes of your trip, such as books, stuffed sheep or jewellry.   To the right are two viewing areas and the information area.   This area has a timeline located around the room, along with large information boards and interactive screens.   Telephones allow you to listen to local voices telling their own stories and relating their experiences.

Upstairs a display gallery of photographs of South Wales, but this room is also available for meetings and conferences.

The "Lost Landscapes," project holds workshops and events here and uses it as a starting off point for exploring the local mountains.   Drystone walling is just one skill they have encouraged.

As you enjoy coffee and a cake, glass walls provide a light airey feel to the cafe, with open views of Forgeside and the mountains.   Just below the window lies an intriguing cemetery.   Brambles and shrubbery almost swallowed the many impressive grave stones, but recently a local group have been attempting to clear it.   I feel many of the people who helped to make Blaenavon must lie there beneath these magnificent monuments.

Blaenavon Ironworks is a World Heritage site.  Its well worth a visit while you are in the area, as is the Workman's Hall and the Community Museum with its area dedicated to the author Alexander Cordell.   He wrote fiction interwoven with local events, tales and characters.

http://www.thevalleys.co.uk/attractions/blaenavon-world-heritage-centre-and-tourist-information-centre-p9911

www.visitblaenavon.co.uk