Here’s a good find : a piece of primary evidence regarding the important development of Merthyr’s schools. It also reflects the success of the highly populated town. Business was booming.
So much building was going on at that time that it was a contractors’ paradise. Merthyr was enjoying the gilded years of its heyday. Thanks Steve. Keep digging.
An important primary source for Merthyr history and the history of education policy with the establishment of the School Board arising from the 1870 Elementary Education Act (Forster Act). It was the first piece of legislation to deal with the provision of state education in England and Wales. I think there were two other schools built concurrently – Twynyrodyn and Penydarren.
There are some photographs on the Alan George website but I’m not sure if they relate exactly to these elementary schools. The Penydarren photos are titled, ‘Board School’ but not the others.
And of course the architect is very significant as he went on to construct the Merthyr Synagogue, one of only a very small group of purpose-built synagogues built globally using the Gothic Revival style. It’s likely that the synagogue commission developed out of his work for the School Board, although reading contemporary accounts of Taylor’s relationship with the School Board in the local newspapers, he was treated badly, resulting in successful litigation against this fledgling public body by Taylor.
It would be great to be able to accurately identify photographic evidence of these early elementary schools if anyone can tie it all up.
Thanks Steve for flagging up this important part of Merthyr’s building history.
Here’s a good find : a piece of primary evidence regarding the important development of Merthyr’s schools. It also reflects the success of the highly populated town. Business was booming.
So much building was going on at that time that it was a contractors’ paradise. Merthyr was enjoying the gilded years of its heyday. Thanks Steve. Keep digging.
An important primary source for Merthyr history and the history of education policy with the establishment of the School Board arising from the 1870 Elementary Education Act (Forster Act). It was the first piece of legislation to deal with the provision of state education in England and Wales. I think there were two other schools built concurrently – Twynyrodyn and Penydarren.
There are some photographs on the Alan George website but I’m not sure if they relate exactly to these elementary schools. The Penydarren photos are titled, ‘Board School’ but not the others.
And of course the architect is very significant as he went on to construct the Merthyr Synagogue, one of only a very small group of purpose-built synagogues built globally using the Gothic Revival style. It’s likely that the synagogue commission developed out of his work for the School Board, although reading contemporary accounts of Taylor’s relationship with the School Board in the local newspapers, he was treated badly, resulting in successful litigation against this fledgling public body by Taylor.
It would be great to be able to accurately identify photographic evidence of these early elementary schools if anyone can tie it all up.
Thanks Steve for flagging up this important part of Merthyr’s building history.