Author: merthyr.history@gmail.com

The Castle Cinema – some miscellaneous facts

by Carolyn Jacob

The Castle Cinema was built on the site of the Castle Hotel, the first purpose-built hotel in the town and where William Crawshay himself often stayed. It is also the premises from whose windows the troops fired into an unarmed crowd during the Merthyr Rising of 1831. George Borrow, author of ‘Wild Wales’ stayed at the Castle Hotel in 1854. Merthyr did not impress him but he found the Ironworks ‘stunning’.

The old Castle Hotel. Courtesy of the Alan George Archive

In 1926 the Castle Hotel was described as being ‘a disgrace to the town’ and it was soon to be demolished. The building was pulled down partly to widen Castle Street, but in 1928 a splendid cinema was erected on the vacant site. The Castle Cinema was built, at a cost of £36,000. Designed by O.P. Bevan and built by Mr. Warlow of Merthyr, it was one of the Principality’s finest cinemas.

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

It combined American and Welsh influences in its design and its interior was beautifully decorated with landscape murals which captured the feel of medieval Wales. Panels designed by a local artist J. Jones, a local artist showed castles in their settings under a brilliant sky, illuminated by two light ray domes. Its comfort and decoration were up to date and it had seats for 1,600.

The interior of the Castle Cinema. Photo courtesy of Carl Llewellyn

The Castle was locally owned and run by Merthyr Cinemas Ltd. The post war depression had hit Merthyr by this time, but when he opened the building the Mayor said he looked on the venture as: ‘a magnificent gesture of faith in Merthyr’s future‘. The popular cinema was taken over by the ABC in 1932.

The Castle also had installed one of the finest organs in Wales, a Christie 3 Manual/10 Rank organ. The well-known Mr Gene Lynn was the resident organist at the Castle Cinema in the 1930s and he made many radio recordings.

Gene Lynn at the organ. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

The manager in the 1930s was Mr Haggar, a holder of the ‘Company of Showmen Shield’.

Advertised as ‘Castle Super Cinema’ in the 1930s with a ‘Christie Unit Organ, the third largest organ in Europe’. The organ however fell into disrepair in the late-1940’s and was removed in 1954. Strangely there were allotments behind the Castle Cinema right in the centre of the town where now there is a car park.

The allotments with the Castle Cinema in the background. Courtesy of the Alan George Archive

The fight for Sunday Opening of Cinemas, 1956

At one time chapel and church dominated life in the Borough. The social life of the town revolved around the many places or worship and the attendance every Sunday reveals a strong religious tendency. Merthyr Tydfil was a ‘non-conformist’ town and many people would attend chapel twice on a Sunday but they gradually lost control of Sundays, as the defeat over the Sunday closing of cinemas and pubs shows. In March 1956 there was a plebiscite on the much-debated issue – Sunday Cinemas in Merthyr. Derek Harris a young collier of Darren View, Penyard entertained in Al Jolson style the large crowd waiting for the result of the Sunday Cinema poll. The vote in favour of Sunday openings was a milestone.

The Castle Cinema was renamed the ABC Castle Super Cinema around 1963, still providing  a vast 1,696 seats. beauty contests and Pop concerts were held here, one being by Pink Floyd in 1967 another by the group The Small Faces. In 1972 control passed to the Leeds based Star Group, converting the stalls area into a bingo hall, and constructing two studio cinemas in the balcony, seating 195 and 98, both were by means of periscope mirror projection with Westar Projectors and long play towers. The projection room being constructed from the second balcony level high in the original building, making it a nightmare journey for any projectionist to carry films up and down.

From 1977 the cinemas passed to a series of independent operators, and when bingo ceased in 1998, the former stalls area was re-seated and a giant 45-foot screen placed in front of the original stage area, with luxury seating for 300, this new Screen 1 opening in June 1999 with “The Mummy”. The two other screens also remained in operation but due to the high costs in maintaining such an old and rambling building, the cinema finally closed in September 2003. The building degenerated into a dilapidated state and was not used for the presentation of films again. For a brief time it was converted into a skating rink, a venture which soon failed. The permission for Merthyr Tydfil Council to demolish this listed but crumbling building came in October 2010 and by the close of 2011 nothing remained on the site.

Merthyr’s Lost Buildings: Lost Chapels Abercanaid to Merthyr Vale

Carrying on with the requested look at Merthyr’s lost chapels, here is the next batch – the lost chapels of Abercanaid down to Merthyr Vale.

ABERCANAID

Deml Welsh Baptist Chapel

Church View, Abercanaid

Built 1896. Demolished ?

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

(Old) Graig Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

Graig Road, Abercanaid

Built 1848. Demolished 1948

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

(New) Graig Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

Church View, Abercanaid

Built 1905. Demolished 1996

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

Silo Welsh Baptist Chapel

Upper Abercanaid

Built 1842. Demolished ?

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

TROEDYRHIW

Mount Zion Congregationalist Chapel

Cardiff Road, Troedyrhiw

Built 1871. Demolished 2004

Courtesy of the Alan George Archive

Saron Welsh Independent Chapel

Chapel Street, Troedyrhiw

Built 1835. Rebuilt 1852. Demolished 1990

ABERFAN

Capel Aberfan Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Chapel

Aberfan Road, Aberfan

Built 1876. Burned down 2015

Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

Old Bethania Welsh Independent Chapel

Aberfan Road, Aberfan

Built 1876. Rebuilt 1885. Demolished 1968

Courtesy of the Alan George Archive

Hope Church of Christ

Bridge Street, Aberfan

Built 1900. Demolished ?

Mount Hermon Congregationalist (later Gospel Hall)

Aberfan Crescent, Aberfan

Built 1899. Demolished ?

Smyrna Welsh Baptist Chapel

Aberfan Road, Aberfan

Built 1879. Rebuilt 1902. Demolished 2002

Courtesy of the Alan George Archive

MERTHYR VALE

Bethel Welsh Wesleyan Chapel

Wesley Place, Merthyr Vale

Built 1886. Demolished ?

Courtesy of the Alan George Archive

Calfaria Welsh Baptist Chapel

Cardiff Road, Merthyr Vale

Built 1877. Rebuilt 1910. Demolished 1979

Photo courtesy of Mrs M Davies

Trinity Presbyterian Chapel

Wesley Place, Merthyr Vale

Built 1876. Rebuilt 1904. Demolished ?

Zion English Baptist Chapel

Nixonville, Merthyr Vale

Built 1879. Rebuilt 1891. Demolished 1971

If anyone has photographs of any other chapels that are no longer with us, and there are a few I can’t find photos of, or if anyone can fill in any details, please get in touch.

Taf Fechan or Dolygaer Church

by Alison Davies

At the far end of Vaynor, just inside the neighbouring parish of Llandetty, stood the pretty church of St Agnes known as Taff Fechan or Dolygaer Church.

Built in the 1470s, almost 400 years later it was extensively rebuilt in the 1860s. The graveyard was also extended after land was gifted by churchwarden, William Williams, Wernddu, and, a new vicarage also built.

This was a time of immense change in the valley, the building of the  Pentwyn Reservoir (Dolygaer Lake) and  the construction of the Brecon to Merthyr Railway brought hundreds of day trippers to picnic swim or sail around the lake in Mr Atkins’s steam powered boat.

Then, in 1925, with the added need for clean water, all changed.

The church, its vicarage, the neighbouring Bethlehem Chapel built 1828 and several houses and farms were all demolished for the flooding of the valley,  and the building of the Taf Fechan Reservoir that we know today.

The picturesque church with its historic foundations was gone, and, the sacred remains of 445 men, women, children and babies were removed from the graveyard.  A further 73 were also removed from Bethlehem Chapel graveyard.

A valley of memories, submerged beneath the lapping waters. Then, every so often, in hot weather, the drought beats the waters retreat, and the archway of Bethlehem Chapel freely emerges from the depths.

At Taf Fechan Church generations of families from the area such as William and Margaret Edward, their sons,  Thomas aged 7 days,  and, Morgan 2 years,  were all removed from their resting place.

Some unknown graves, whose identity was quietly recorded by an unmarked stone, a simple row of river cobbles or a parting in the grass where someone had once sat and grieved. Now, their identity gone, their history lost,  they were simply marked as ‘person’ ’child’ and ‘infant’.

Most, including, those both known and unknown, were re-interred at the new burial ground at Pontsticill.

They  included 26-year old Sarah Jones from Dowlais and her new born daughter Margery who died Sept 1841, also 71-year old station master Charles Mallet who had worked Torpantau Station for over 45 years, died 1910, or Farmer David Lewis died 1891 Cwm Carr.

Others, such as the ancient Watkins family of Blaencallan, or Rhiwyrychain, and, one of the earliest recorded families in the Dolygaer valley, were reburied at Vaynor and Llandetty Churches.

A new church was opened in 1927 on the embankment above the Dolygaer and a new chapel built in Pontsticill; both are now privately owned.

To see more of Alison’s fantastic research about Pontsarn and Vaynor, please follow this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/747174317220437

The Growth of Football in Merthyr Tydfil – part 6

Transcribed by Phil Sweet

These articles which appeared in three consecutive editions of the Merthyr Express in March 1921 are Harvey Boots’ own reminiscences of the development of three football codes in the town up to that date.  

ARTICLE 3 MERTHYR EXPRESS 19TH MARCH 1921 (continued)

THE GROWTH OF FOOTBALL IN MERTHYR

(By Harvey Boots)

We had some really good men with us now and to mention a few here would be in keeping with the rest of the story. I don’t think they played in the same season, but about those doughty days to which I have just referred. To recall a few, I can remember now the first two backs who played for the club. I had forgotten for a moment, but I was reminded of these names by the genial Vicar of Cyfarthfa (whom we all regard as Paterfamilias apart from things pertaining to football). They were Carrier and W. Davies, the latter of whom hailed from Bristol; Jack White, a good back; little Holmes, also a back; Sam Wightman who went from us to Middlesborough (at what I think was a record fee as transfer to date), Fisher, Gates, Churchill, Whittaker, F. Taylor, Spriggs, Costello etc., etc.

As I have brought this little history nearly up-to-date, I must obviously refrain from comments. I can only say in passing that some of these served the Club really well. Just here came the parting of the ways as far as the Merthyr Athletic Club was concerned. Although the game had undoubtedly come to stay, it was not by any means a paying proposition, and we felt that if the public wanted Association Football, they should help to support it, and so the Merthyr Association Football Club, Ltd., came into being. A limited liability company was formed, and we of the old Athletic Club retired gracefully in favour of the new company formed to carry on. The only one of the old pioneers remaining was Mr. W. T. Jones, who still acted in the capacity of secretary. A strong directorate was elected, embodying the various interests of the district, and everything seemed on a sound basis, but alas! Football, like life, is very uncertain, and the new regime had to encounter the same vicissitudes as formerly. But I think the culmination arrived when that great holocaust of world war smote us all. Football was out of the question, and for five years the game was not seen or even spoken of. The Park was still there, but owing to these unforeseen circumstances it was becoming sadly dilapidated. However, as soon as things became normal, and the menace that had been threatening us as a nation had been laid by the heels the old Club was once again resuscitated. The chairman of directors (Dr Duncan), who has held that office since the formation of the Club into a limited company, called a public meeting in the Drill Hall, presided over by the esteemed president, Mr. Seymour Berry. I was at that memorable gathering, and I shall recall how the enthusiasm of the President gripped the meeting. Money was wanted and he got it! I think the sum promised that evening was over £2,000. I am not going to relate how many or who subscribed but it was a goodly sum, and just depicted how willing the public were to foster the game that had now become so popular. But I believe a great portion of this went to put the ground in proper repair again. After an interval of five years things had sadly got out of repair, and although £2,000 seems a great del of money, by the time the necessary repairs, etc., were done, it was not a great deal for a fresh “dip” into the uncertain waters of Association Football. However, Dr Duncan, with that spirit of the “dour” Scot, with the aid of his loyal board, has now at last seen the fruits of his labours.

In conclusion, I trust, too, that the Merthyr Club will make history in the football world and that our genial President, who has for so long been in loco parentis, will in the near future have the pleasure of seeing that insignificant, elusive, but highly interesting trophy, “The Cup” gracing his sideboard.