Allan “Salty” Jones has recently published the centenary story (1913 -2013) of football played by a myriad of local teams. His account draws on a vast number of photographs of boys and men who set out to enjoy Saturday football on pitches of variable quality from the north to the south of the Merthyr Borough. Their faces shine out of the black/white and coloured prints spanning a number of generations the vast majority of whom are sadly not still with us. Nevertheless their spirit epitomises their love for the game, and perhaps more importantly, their camaraderie bound together by work, community, church or public house.
The names of the clubs who played in the MERTHYR LEAGUE ring out through the ages. Merthyr Trams, Aberfan Thursdays, Bethania Chapel, Court Rangers, Gellifaelog Youth Club, Mountain Hare, Hoovers, Castle Rangers, Miners Hall, Great Escape and Vaynor Quarries. The list is endless. A review of the history of local football mirrored the social and industrial changes spanning the 100 years. Gone are the teams representing local employers such as Guest Keen, Lines, B.S.A , Teddington Controls, Kayser Bondor, Welsh Products to name but a few.
Of the hundreds of teams who joined then left the League was S.W.E.B. who played post World War II into the early 1950s. The South Wales Electricity Board team of young men who served in the Army, Navy or Royal Air Force and went to work in an industry which blossomed with the surge in demand for an alternative power source. The sprint was on to convert homes from coal gas to electricity. Mains cables had to be laid in streets, Electricity meters installed and wiring to be linked to light switches and power points. Who can recall the demand for one shilling coins for the electricity slot meters to ensure the lights stayed on during dark winter nights!
The S.W.E.B team of 1954/55 played their home games in Heolgerrig and perhaps there are readers who are the grandchildren and great- grandchildren of those in the photograph. Were they players of great skill, who knows, but we can be assured that on their Monday stint in their work base at the Traction Yard in Penydarren they would certainly be enthusing about the win, draw or loss of the previous Saturday game
P.S. The author is the eight year old in the photograph
Pant cemetery opened in 1849 owing to the Cholera outbreak that had claimed so many lives, and the shortage of space at St John’s Church burial ground and other burial grounds in the area. The Dowlais Works had been unable to give any of their land as it contained minerals, so the prominent landowner, the Hon. Robert Clive, gave two acres of land near the Kissing-Gate opposite the Pant Cad Ifor Inn on the following conditions:
That the ground was consecrated
A fence was made around it
A chapel was built for prayers
The Dowlais Company organised the last two conditions and the Rev Jenkins officiated at the consecration ceremony.
One of the first burials at Pant Cemetery was on 6 August 1849, of a four-year-old boy who had probably died of cholera. During this epidemic, 1,432 victims died. Two more cholera outbreaks followed on 1854 and 1866.
In October 1858, the newly formed Dowlais Burial Board borrowed £1,200 for a new burial ground, and ensured that a new site, given by Lady Windsor, was opened in 1860. There were, in effect, two cemeteries at Pant which were situated next to each other. The Established Church’s cemetery which had opened in 1849 and the Dowlais Board’s in 1860. They later became one single cemetery.
The cemetery has been extended several times, once in 1903 when £1,950 was borrowed for the purpose. The land adjoining Pant Cemetery was acquired from Lord Windsor and Messrs Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd, for the sum of £100 an acre, and £312 was paid to Messrs Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd for providing an arable field instead of the one taken over by the council. The topsoil was taken from the building site at Caeracca Villas and was used for making up the graves.
Pant Cemetery in the early 1900s with Mr Bunn who worked at the cemetery for 57 years, seven as a grave-digger and fifty as sexton. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive
Also in 1903, a storm caused considerable damage when some large poplar trees in the cemetery blew down. The fallen trees were used to make decent seats for visitors, and the remaining logs were used for firewood for the road roller.
In the part of the cemetery opened in 1860, there were about 130 trees growing to a height of 35 – 40 ft. Add to these the 224 trees in the area opened in 1874, as can be seen, the trees were taking up a lot of space. One of the trees covered an area of 90feet in circumference, whilst others covered people’s headstones with the roots striking into adjoining graves. In 1907, about 25 trees were cut down, made into blocks of about 24 inches and sold to the public for 6d each.
In the area added to the cemetery in 1882, a belt of trees 60 yards long and 10 yards wide ran along the boundary wall. These trees were no trouble however, and were planted for the purpose of secluding the adjoining Brynonen House.
1862 saw the completion of the chapel at Pant Cemetery. It soon became too small for the increased number of worshippers, so the larger Christ Church was built nearby. It continued to be used for special occasions until the 1950s when it was demolished. A new church was built which was used by the Roman Catholic Church for a while, but the building is now used as a storeroom.
Pant Cemetery Gates showing the old chapel. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive
In 1906, 400 tons of stone were quarried at Pant Cemetery to make further space for graves. Also a complaint was made to Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds Ltd about the danger of blasting at the nearby Bryniau Quarry during a burial service; fortunately no-one was injured. Later, in 1947, two people who died in Pengarnddu during the terrible snow-storms were brought by sledge down past Caeracca Farm to be buried.
Over the years the cemetery has been an accepted place for walks, and on sunny days it is interesting to read the many different verses and messages on the gravestones. One such verse reads: “Chewing gum, chewing gum made of wax sent me to the grave at last”.
Ninety-five years ago today, on 4 July 1926, General Marden unveiled the Pant War Memorial, with about 1,300 people in attendance and with loud speakers and microphones were in place for the event. Pant was the second village in the area to erect a memorial to the men killed in the First World War.
The Memorial Committee was inaugurated in 1920; house-to-house collections were organised and many promises of weekly contributions were made, but due to the coal strike of 1921, and the trade depression that followed, the final cost of £800 was not quite met. The local inhabitants had paid the bulk of the money, and the school-children contributed largely through the many concerts organised by the staff. Also mentioned for their donations were: Merthyr Football Club, the directors of the Victoria Cinema and the Oddfellows Hall (where the concerts were held).
Mr F. J. Bateson released the ground he had rented from Messrs Guest, Keen and Nettlefold, enabling them to give the ground, previously owned by Daniel Thomas, stonemason, for the memorial. Before the memorial could be erected, the urinal built in 1906 had to be moved to the other side of Caeracca Bridge.
The Memorial is built mainly of Portland stone, with the side wing walls and steps leading to the cenotaph of local limestone. The bronze plate centrepiece reveals the names of local men who were killed during the conflict.
Designed by Mr C. H. C. Holder, a curator at Cyfarthfa Museum, the sculpture is a monument to the skill of Councillor F. J. Bateson from Pant and his assistants. The Mayor, Alderman D. Davies J. P., another Pant resident, accepted the deed as a gift from Mr S. J. Lloyd, Secretary of the Memorial Committee. The mayor had actually lost his son in the War, and his name is commemorated on the plaque.
General Marden, in his response, thanked the Dowlais Male Voice Party for “the most wonderful singing he had ever heard”. The march to Pant was led by the Municipal Band and the G.K.N. Dowlais Silver Band.
A second plaque was added to the memorial to honour the men of the village who died during the Second World War.
Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive
To the left hand side of the main memorial is another plaque honouring the men who had been employed at the I.C.I. Factory at Dowlais who died in the Second World War. These were:
John Alistair Owen, was a local man who was born in Tramroadside North, Merthyr Tydfil in 1936. There are pictures of him as a child taking part in a concert to raise money for the Merthyr Express ‘Spitfire Fund’.
The Tramroadside North children raising money for the Spitfire fund. John Owen is second from left in front row.
He attended the Quaker’s Yard Technical School and went on to an engineering apprenticeship in Walsall. Following a short period in England, he returned home and joined the former GKN Works (Ivor Works) in Dowlais as a design draughtsman in 1958 and remained there through the BSC years until closure in 1988. Although his high powered job took him to India, the USA and other countries, he was always anxious to return to his family and to Dowlais. He was devoted to his career and to the Dowlais Works. He fought hard to keep the Dowlais Works open but finally had to negotiate its closure; although he was proud of the fact that Dowlais always successfully made a profit throughout its long history.
From his school days, he developed a keen interest in old photographs. In the Dowlais drawing office surrounded by the records of the Dowlais Works, he came to develop a keen interest in its history. When his book ‘A Short History of the Dowlais Iron Works’ was first printed in 1973 Dowlais was still exporting iron all over the world. John Owen was co-founder of the Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society and active supporters of the Heritage Trust and the Dowlais Male Voice Choir. He became the authority on the history of the Dowlais Works and the community which grew up around it.
John Owen in 1974. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive.
He built up a large personal collection of photographs on Dowlais; gathering together pictures loaned by local people and also the private collection of the Works and engineering institutes. He produced a number of picture books, these included ‘Dowlais Works and Town’, and four popular books of local pictures published by the Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society. A number of exhibitions in Dowlais Library, containing around 300 photographs each, were financed from his own pocket and these pictures are now all held by the library. He felt that the Dowlais Works had been good to him and so he wanted to give something back to the people of Dowlais, showing them how their ancestors lived and how the environment had changed over the centuries.
When he started giving illustrated slide lectures in Dowlais Library, organised by the librarian David Watkins, there was always a full capacity audience with hardly ever even standing room at the back. Due to their popularity, these talks were extended to numerous locations and continued throughout his life. History and local photographs were his main interests but John still found the time to apply his business acumen in assisting the Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind on a voluntary basis and, after joining the Board in 1991, he became its vice-chairman.
He was a good friend to Merthyr Tydfil Libraries, providing support and advice. John A. Owen, the last works manager of BSC Dowlais, was a keen rugby fan and he sadly died in 1998; only ten minutes into the International between Wales and Ireland in Dublin. He has been greatly missed but he left a large legacy of Dowlais photographs behind him which the late Alan George, with the blessing of John’s widow, Mair, made digital copies of future generations to enjoy and study.
During the First World War, the government urged people to donate money to help build tanks. When it was Tank Week in Merthyr Tydfil, Seymour rose to the challenge and our town beat all other towns in raising one million pounds in today’s money. As a thank you, Merthyr was given the tank that had toured the country helping to raise funds.
In 1919 Berry bought Gurnos Farm and its five hundred acres.
Berry admitted to being a gambler especially on the stock exchange. In hindsight, I think he won more than he lost and to our benefit.
He organised a Merthyr Tydfil Peace Memorial, £15,000 was raised which was distributed amongst the needy ex-servicemen and their dependents.
In 1920, with his brother, wife and David R. Llewellyn, Berry acquired John Lysaght and became its Chairman until it became part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds. Two years later he bought the Buckland estate in Bwlch, which included two thousand and six hundred acres and four miles of salmon fishing in the River Usk.
Buckland Hall
During this year the Conservative, Liberal and Constitutional Labour Parties all asked him to stand as a member of parliament for Merthyr Tydfil. He declined the offers.
In 1923 The Borough Council gave him the freedom of Merthyr Tydfil, and the following year he was invested as a Knight of Grace, Order of St John of Jerusalem. He held the office of High Sherriff of Brecknockshire. However, he still remembered his roots. An open-air baths had become derelict. Thanks to his interest and financial support the baths were renovated and had the added luxury of a roof, now fondly remembered as Gwaunfarren Baths.
In 1926, in the Kings Birthday Honours List, he became Baron Buckland of Bwlch for his public, political and philanthropic service. Nevertheless, to Merthyr people he is best known as how he should be addressed, that of Lord Buckland, and the following year he again became a Chairman of G.K.N. (previously known as Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds).
His philanthropic work is well-known. He bought the Carlton Workingman’s Hotel (we now know it as the Merthyr Ex-Service Mens Club), and Edwardsville School, Merthyr Tydfil Football Club and Dowlais Choir are just a few of the organisations who benefited from his financial donations. £12,000 was given for a new wing for the town’s General Hospital.
He gave land and money for the building of Sandbrook Sanatorium at Pontsarn, which he named after his father-in-law. He was a Freemason and belonged to Loyal Cambrian Lodge No 100 in Merthyr Tydfil.
On Wednesday, 23 May 1928. Lord Buckland greets his favourite bay mare and the estates stud groom, Henry Weaver, outside Buckland House. They ride to the meadow for a fast morning gallop. He turns to speak to Weaver, riding a horse behind. A shout goes out “Mind the post my Lord”. His master tries to turn. Collision with the telegraph post is unavoidable. Berry’s head smashes into it and he is unseated. Weaver runs to the house to alert the butler who dashes to the scene of the accident. Estate workers unhinge a gate to use as a stretcher. He is driven to hospital by car. Berry is dead.
This was just days before he and Lady Buckland were due to attend the Cyfarthfa Park Carnival where they were to crown the May Queen.
On Friday 26 May, vast crowds gathered around the Congregational Chapel in Market Square, where Berry had been a lifelong member. With the funeral service over the cortège proceeded down the valley to Pontypridd Crematorium. Along the way crowds gathered to pay their last respects to the man who did so much to give Merthyr residents a better quality of life. Apparently his ashes were scattered to the four winds. Without a male heir, his title of Lord Buckland became extinct.
There is so much more I could add. It is with little wonder there is a statue to Lord Buckland outside the central library it is in recognition to the high ideal of citizenship displayed in his generous gifts for the alleviation of suffering in the town and for increasing the happiness and prosperity of his fellowmen.
5 June 1931 saw the official opening of the Lord Buckland Memorial Hospital. After his death a fund was set up and over 50,000 contributed. The largest of the amounts came from his widow and his two brothers, which by now were also Lords, but their stories are not for now.
Lord Buckland Memorial Hospital
Even in death, his philanthropy lives on.
He left shares to be put into trust. The income applied to help the poor of Merthyr Tydfil. 1,000 shares to provide annual prizes to the pupils of Abermorlais, Cyfarthfa and County Schools. Perhaps you have a book given to you on prize giving day with a black oval stamp on the first inside page saying it was donated by Lord Buckland). 1,000 shares to Market Square Church.
The trust aims have had to be amended as the Abermorlais and County Schools have long gone. The charity aims are for ‘The relief, or assistance of the necessitous and deserving poor persons over the age of 30 years born or resided in the borough for 10 years’. Someone told me his grandmother had ten shillings a week from the fund, I suspect it would be more than 50p now. It is still active today and the appropriate agencies who are in contact with those in need can apply to the trust on their behalf. The 5 April 2019 trust accounts shows this year they donated £68,329.
BAGGINS– A connection
Bilbo Baggins is a name many are familiar with through a series of books by J.K. Tolkien.
In 1940 Tolkien had begun writing The Lord of The Rings. As a busy academic he chose Tal-y- Bont for a holiday and a chance to continue with his writing. A researcher from the Lord of The Rings Production Company is completely convinced the following places were the source of Tolkien’s inspiration. The Shire where the Buckleberries live, and child hood home of Frodo Baggins is based on the Buckland Estate with the curve of the river. Crick Hollow inspired by Crickhowell. Tredegar became Fredegar. The Merthyr Steel works possible Mordor. I wonder what Lord Buckland thinks about his old estate being the inspiration for the books and films. Yet another way the name Buckland continues to give.
I wonder what Tommy, Alfred, Marshall and my grandfather John Moses thought of their ex school teacher as he rose through society ranks and become rich beyond their dreams.
So back to where all this began, researching my family tree. I realised something, my grandfather was actually a child, and I thought he was born forty years old, with a balding head, collarless shirt with rolled up sleeves, black tatty waistcoat, black trousers with turn-ups and braces.
Statue of Lord Buckland outside Merthyr Central Library
Thanks to Irene for this fascinating article.
There will be more coming about the Berry brothers soon.
Originally built for the Crawshay family, Gwaelodygarth House dates from the early 19th century and was probably built by Richard Crawshay around 1809, possibly for his son-in-law Benjamin Hall. It was a classic mid Georgian building of generous proportions and balanced design. William Crawshay II lived here before Cyfarthfa Castle was built and then it was sold to a local solicitor, William Meyrick for £2,500.
There is a rumour that Gwaelodygarth House is haunted by the ghost of one of Crawshay’s mistresses who was locked in the attic here to keep her away from his wife.
On the edge of the Cyfarthfa Estate, the house stood in its own grounds of parklands and ornamental gardens, surrounded by a great deal of farmland, The approach was by two driveways, from the east and from the west, one of which was adjacent to a period lodge.
Gwaelodygarth House as seen on a map dated 1875
The house was subsequently home to the Berry family and Henry Seymour Berry lived here from 1912, until he sold it to Guest Keen and Nettlefolds.
It became a domestic training institution and then a school for female evacuees during WWII. In September 1950 Gwaelodygarth House was opened as a Training School for Nurses by Dr Stuart Cresswell, and in June 1979 it became a Mental Health Day Unit.
The hallway at Gwaelodygarth House when it was a nurses’ training school. Photo courtesy of Ann Lewis
The house was in reasonably a good condition until a serious fire in August 2003 destroyed part of the building. Gutted and roofless following the fire upper floor of left-hand range collapsed.
During the First World War, Seymour Berry rendered valuable service to the country, by relieving Lord Rhondda of his business responsibilities, so releasing him for important work as a Cabinet Minister. After the war, he became director of over 80 public and other companies, including the great Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds, eventually becoming its chairman.
He was without doubt the most generous benefactor Merthyr has ever known. Indeed the family over the years gave a total of £100,000 to the people of Merthyr. He was awarded the title Lord Buckland of Bwlch in 1926.
His tragic death two years later in 1928 as a result of a riding accident was a great loss to the people of Merthyr. A fund was opened, and over 50,000 people contributed, but by far the largest portion was given by his wife, Lady Buckland and his brothers, Lord Camrose and Lord Kemsley.
The fund was used to build the Lord Buckland Memorial Hospital which was officially opened on 5 June 1931 and cost over £40,000 to complete. The new hospital was connected to the General Hospital by a corridor, where a lift and a stairway provided access to the upper floors.
Lord Buckland Memorial Hospital
The entrance, off Alexandra Road, was where the opening of the new part of the hospital took place, when Lord Camrose unlocked the door. This was followed by the unveiling of the Memorial Panel by Mr W. R. Lysaght, C.B.E. The inscription read:-
“This hospital was erected by Public subscription as a memorial to Henry Seymour Berry, first Baron Buckland of Bwlch. A native of this town. Knight of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. 3rd Honorary Freeman of the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil. Chairman of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.
In recognition of the high ideal of citizenship displayed in his generous gifts for the alleviation of suffering in the town and for increasing the happiness and prosperity of his fellowmen.”
The people of Merthyr gratefully appreciated the hospital and it remained a voluntary one until 1948, when all hospitals were transferred to the Ministry of Health. Our area came under the care of the Merthyr and Aberdare Hospital Management Committee.
Merthyr and Aberdare Hospital Management Committee
Many improvements have been made over the years; they include the new theatre, opened in 1960 when the area behind the Buckland Hospital was extended. By 1962 the right hand side of the first floor of the Buckland building was converted as an extension to the children’s ward, and was later used as the Special Care Baby Unit.
In the 1970’s Prince Charles Hospital was built, and the building of a new large, modern hospital had repercussions for all of the other hospitals in Merthyr. In 1978, when the first phase of Prince Charles Hospital opened, the General Hospital closed to be adapted to receive several departments from St Tydfil’s Hospital, while it was being refurbished.
In 1980, the Maternity and Special Baby Care units were transferred to the Buckland Hospital and the department for the Care of the Elderly was transferred to the main hospital.
In 1986, with the refurbishment of St Tydfil’s complete, the Care of the Elderly department was moved there, and the main building of the General Hospital closed. At this time the Sandbrook and Berry wards were demolished.
Sandbrook and Berry wards being demolished in 1986
The Buckland Hospital remained open until 1991 when phase 2 of Prince Charles Hospital was finished and the Maternity and Special Baby Care units were transferred, and the building was subsequently demolished.
The main hospital building still stands but is in a pitiful state. There is a proposal to turn the building into 23 new homes. Let’s hope that the refurbishment will be sympathetic to the history of a building that the local people gave so much of their time, energy and money to build for the people of Merthyr.
The General Hospital in 2016
A fuller history of the General Hospital by Ann Lewis is available in Volume 4 of the Merthyr Historian.
The next chapel we are going to look at in our continuing series is Penywern Welsh Independent Chapel.
The cause at Penywern began in 1856 when Mr David Evans of Llanwrda and Rev Benjamin Williams of Gwernllwyn Chapel began holding meetings in Mr Evans’ house in Penywern. With the blessing of the congregation at Gwernllwyn, they also opened a Sunday School.
As there was no other room available, the Sunday School was held in the long room of The Ifor Arms, Penywern. The room was let by Mrs Nancy Rogers, the licensee, at a rental of 12 shillings a month. One rule was laid down by the officials of the Sunday School however, that “no intoxicants were to be consumed in the long room while the Sunday School was being held”.
As the congregation grew it was decided to build a chapel in Penywern. Land was leased from the Dowlais Iron Company for 5s per annum, and the chapel, designed by Rev Benjamin Owen, Zoar, opened on the first Sunday in March 1858, with Rev Benjamin Williams taking responsibility for the chapel in a joint ministry with Gwernllwyn Chapel until he left in 1861.
As the numbers grew the chapel was rebuilt in 1876-7 at a cost of £1000, and the new chapel opened on 19 August 1877. Rev Benjamin Williams was invited back to the chapel to take the opening services for the new chapel.
In 1910, a few of the young men at the chapel, encouraged by the minister Rev J H Hughes decided to start a small choir and elected Mr Evan Thomas to be their conductor. The choir quickly grew and evolved into the Penywern Male Voice Choir, which became famous throughout Wales. The choir, under the leadership of Evan Thomas, sang for King George V and Queen Mary when they visited Dowlais in 1912. They went on to win many auspicious prizes, culminating in 1927 when the choir won three Eisteddfodau, and Evan Thomas won the three Eisteddfod chairs which he donated to the chapel. Due to the depression in the 1930’s and the closing of the iron works, the choir membership dwindled and eventually disbanded.
Penywern Male Choir
In 1921 a large school room was added to the front of the chapel. As this was a difficult time financially at the chapel, the stone for the new school room was given by Messrs Guest, Keen and Nettlefold through the courtesy of the general manager Mr Howell R Jones. The school room was built by voluntary labour with horses and carts being used to transport the stone from the nearby quarry. The school room was completed and opened in 1922.
Volunteers beginning work on the new schoolroom
Like so many other chapels in Merthyr, the congregation dwindled over the years, and the chapel closed and was subsequently demolished.
105 years ago today, Merthyr was honoured with a visit from King George V and Queen Mary.
On 25 June 1912, the Royal Couple had embarked on a three day visit to Wales, the primary reason for which was to lay the foundation stone for the new National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. The King, however, had expressed a wish to see the social conditions of the area and Sir William Thomas Lewis (see previous posts) arranged a tour.
The Royal Train at Treherbert
On the 27 June they travelled on the Royal Train, first visiting the Lewis Merthyr Colliery at Trehafod, then on to the Mines Rescue Station at Dinas. The tour then continued by train through Pontypridd, Llancaiach, Bedlinog, Cwmbargoed, to Caeharris (Dowlais) Station where the King and Queen were scheduled to visit the Dowlais Works.
Dowlais Works decorated for the Royal Visit
To mark the occasion, craftsmen at the Dowlais Works had specially constructed two monumental archways for the Royal Couple to pass through – one made of coal and one made of steel.
The Coal Arch (left) and the Steel Arch (right)
They entered the works on foot, through the ‘Coal Arch’, and were greeted by a rousing rendition of ‘God Save the King’ by the Penywern Choir, who had been invited to entertain the Royal party. A message was later sent by the King and Queen to the conductor of the choir – Mr Evan Thomas, complimenting them on their singing, saying that the Penywern Choir “were the best choir of voices they had heard on their tour of South Wales”. The Royal Couple then entered Dowlais House where they met several invited distinguished guests and were served a sumptuous lunch. The Penywern Choir entertained the visitors during the lunch from a marquee that had been specially erected in front of the dining room.
Following lunch, the King and Queen were given a tour of the Works by Sir W T Lewis and Mr Arthur Keen, the owner of the works (he had purchased to Dowlais Iron Company from Ivor Bertie Guest in 1899, and the Works were now operating under the management of Guest, Keen & Nettlefolds). Having visited the Blast Furnaces, the Bessemer Plant, Goat Mill, Sleeper Mill, Sole Plate Mill, Fishplate Mill and the Siemens Plant, the Royal Couple exited the Works via the ‘Steel Arch’, and proceeded to Merthyr in their own Daimler car, to arrive at the Town Hall steps at 4.00pm where Sir W T Lewis presented them to the Mayor and Mayoress, Mr & Mrs J M Berry.
The King and Queen at Dowlais WorksCrowds outside the Town Hall in a specially erected stand
The Dowlais Works have since closed, the Steel Arch was dismantled in the 1920’s and the Coal Arch was dismantled in 1960.
Pant cemetery opened in 1849 owing to the Cholera outbreak that had claimed so many lives, and the shortage of space at St John’s Church burial ground and other burial grounds in the area. The Dowlais Works had been unable to give any of their land as it contained minerals, so the prominent landowner, the Hon. Robert Clive, gave two acres of land near the Kissing-Gate opposite the Pant Cad Ifor Inn on the following conditions:
The cause at Penywern began in 1856 when Mr David Evans of Llanwrda and Rev Benjamin Williams of Gwernllwyn Chapel began holding meetings in Mr Evans’ house in Penywern. With the blessing of the congregation at Gwernllwyn, they also opened a Sunday School.
