Tag: Shiloh Chapel

Memories of Old Merthyr

We continue our serialisation of the memories of Merthyr in the 1830’s by an un-named correspondent to the Merthyr Express, courtesy of Michael Donovan.

A small greengrocer’s shop followed, and then came a china and glass one, kept by a Miss Dyke, then a public house (the Globe) followed by the confectionery shop of Mrs Williams. Her daughters, I believe, Misses Jones, carried on dressmaking etc. One of these young ladies married Mr John Martin, doctor of the Penydarren Works; another Mr Edward Thomas of the Plymouth Works (uncle of the present Mr William Thomas of Oakfield, Aberdare).

Te area of the High Street in question (in the early 1900s). The Globe Inn can be seen at the far right. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

The late Mr D C Gunn first opened a business a few doors above. There were some I cannot recall, but not many doors above was the furniture shop of Mr J Davies, one of whose sons carries it on to this day. Dr John Martin resided close here. Then comes the Bush Hotel.

The Bush Hotel. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

The Bush Hotel was, as regards its frontage, then as now. Mr Thomas Davies was the host and Mrs Davies the hostess. Many a time Mr Davies could be seen resting or semi-sitting on one of the window sills. He had a pleasant, cheerful face, and a genial smile for everybody. His family consisted of two sons and three daughters, about whom I may possibly say more in another epistle. Next above the Bush was a china and ware shop opened by Mr Daniel Asprey, who afterwards moved higher up; then the Bristol and West of England Bank, of which Mr Walter Thompson was the manager for many years.

Next above was a ready made boot and shoe shop kept by Mrs Goodman. It was at this house Mr Steele, the first agent of the Marquis of Bute, who resided in Merthyr, lodged. A Mr Beaumont was probably the head mineral agent of the Marquis, but he resided about Llandaff somewhere. Mr W S Clark succeeded Mr Steele, and, to the best of my knowledge, Mr Beaumont gave up.

I cannot recall for what purpose the premises where the Merthyr Telegraph was printed were used, but I think they were occupied by a printer and bookbinder named David Jones. Mr Asprey moved into the adjoining shop, and some few doors above was Atkin Brother’s boot and shoe shop. It was here the late Mr George Overton (the coroner afterwards), practised as a solicitor, but this must have been in the forties.

Mr William Todd, who was for a long time cashier at the Hirwaun Works, and who opened a wine and spirit business at Bryant’s Old Brewery in Pontstorehouse, built a premises and carried on the business just here. Close to was Mr John James’s drapery establishment and Mr William Stephens’s druggist shop. There was a public house and then a chapel belonging to the Welsh Wesleyans, which was taken down to form an entrance into the railway station. I cannot recall the name of the public house nor that of one lower down near the Merthyr Telegraph premises, which I have not referred to.

To be continued at a later date….

A New Cemetery

The article transcribed below appeared in the Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian 160 years ago today (7 May 1859).

Our new necropolis has this week been formally opened for the burial af the dead. It consists of about 21 acres of ground, and is situated about, two miles from Merthyr, beyond Cefn Coed y Cymmer and between the Brecon road and the River Taff. It was purchased at a cost of about £2000; and from £2000 to £3000 more have been laid out in walling it in, in the erection of chapels for the use of Churchmen and Dissenters, and in laying out the ground and making roads, walks, lodges, gateways etc.

The ground has been divided into three portions – one for the use of the Established Church, one for Dissenters, and one for Roman Catholics; and these several portions have now been formally dedicated to their respective uses. It was expected that the Church portion would have been consecrated on the 29th instant; but this was postponed to Tuesday last. In the meantime the Roman Catholics had taken possession of their ground, and had opened it for burial according to the uses of their church.

Much discussion has been for some time going on among the dissenting part of the population as to the mode of dealing with theirs. Having been violently opposed to the ceremonial of consecration practised by Churchmen, and having habitually denounced all consecrations of burial grounds as useless forms, if not something worse, they were placed in an awkward dilemma. If they abstained from any formal proceedings they would give the Established Church an opportunity to outshine them in the public eye; and if they had a formal service they turned their backs on their own professions, nullified all their own arguments, and would after all give a deliberate and imposing sanction to that consecrational usage which they had so often denounced. These various arguments were used over and over again in most of the dissenting chapels and Sunday schools. Where the spirit of nonconformity prevailed it was resolved to abstain from any demonstration, and to adhere to the fixed principles of their forefathers; but in the meantime a new spirit has found its way into dissenting chapels, and they incline to follow the example of the Established Church, while violently and even bitterly denouncing their example.

The object of the latter class was to produce a demonstration of the numerical superiority of the nonconformist part of the population; but in this respect it was a comparative failure; for several congregations discountenanced the movement, and others only half approved of it, so that they only put forth half their strength. The first intention was that all the children of the dissenting Sunday schools should take part in the demonstration but, owing to a prevalent disapprobation of the object thereof, and to a feeling that the motives in which it originated were uncharitable and unchristian, only a few schools turned out on the occasion, and of those some were divided and only displayed half their real numbers. Among those which joined in the demonstration were the Sunday schools in connection with Zoar Chapel, High Street Chapel, Adulam Chapel, a part of the Welsh Wesleyan School, and that of the Wesleyan Reformers.

Viewed in itself, and apart from the spirit which dictated it, the demonstration had several points of interest. The day was fine; the children, led by their ministers walked in procession, and, as they wended their way towards Cefn, they sang hymns appropriate to the occasion, making the streets vocal with their silvery tones, and populous with pleased hearers and spectators. Having arrived on the ground, religious services were celebrated in the chapel dedicated to the use of Dissenters; and addresses were delivered by several ministers and laymen. One of the speakers even went the length of asserting the propriety of consecration, and the superiority of the Nonconformist form of it. “Today,” said he, “we consecrate this ground with prayer; tomorrow it will be consecrated by ceremonies.” As if Churchmen could not pray as well as Dissenters.

Passing by this exhibition of bigotry, which we are happy to find met with the disapprobation of many Dissenters, we pursue our narrative. On the following day, the ground set apart for the use of Churchmen was consecrated by the Right Rev. the Bishop of Llandaff, in accordance with the rites of the Established Church. The Burial Board paid his Lordship the compliment of attending in their corporate capacity; and a considerable number of ladies and gentlemen – Churchmen and Dissenters   – attended on the occasion.

The new burial ground having been formally opened on these several occasion, and in its several parts, will now speedily become the last resting-place of many of the inhabitants of this locality.

Merthyr’s Chapels: Shiloh Chapel

The next chapel we are going to look at is Shiloh Welsh Wesleyan Chapel – one of Merthyr’s grandest chapels, but now probably better known as the Miners’ Hall.

In 1807 Rev Edward Jones came to the English Wesleyan Chapel in Pontmorlais to work alongside Rev J T Evans and to serve the needs of the Welsh speaking congregation there. That same year a group of worshippers left the English chapel to start a Welsh cause, and by 1811 they had built a small chapel in John Street.

By the 1850’s the Great Western Railway Company asked to purchase the land on which the chapel was built for their new railway station, and an agreement was made to provide a new chapel for the Welsh Wesleyans in Church Street. This new building was reputed to have been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, though no documentation has been found to substantiate this, and it was opened in 1853.

Shiloh Chapel

In 1859 a religious revival took place in Wales, and in Merthyr the revival began at Shiloh Chapel under the guidance of Rev Watkinson, the minister there at the time, “where with great demonstrations and emotional excitement the converts were overcome by strong preaching and hymn singing”.

One of the most prominent ministers to officiate at Shiloh was Rev Thomas Aubrey (1808-1867). Born in Cefn Coed, Thomas Aubrey became a Wesleyan Methodist minister in 1826, and between then and 1865 travelled Wales as a minister at various chapels including Shiloh between 1846-1849. Rev Aubrey went on to be one of the most important preachers in Welsh Wesleyan history.

Rev Thomas Aubrey

Unfortunately, the new chapel proved too large and too expensive to run, so it was reluctantly decided to close it in 1912 and the Welsh and English Wesleyans amalgamated at Wesley Chapel. Shortly after this, plans were formulated to build a grand Central Wesleyan Mission Hall on the site of the old Drill Hall, but the plan never came to fruition due to the advent of the First World War.

The building was sold to the Miners’ Welfare Committee, and it was opened as the Miners’ Hall in 1921. It later became a nightclub and was destroyed by fire in 1992. The shell of the building now lies derelict.

The remains of Shiloh Chapel