Following on from yesterday’s article about Quakers Yard Viaduct, historian Victoria Owens, a regular contributor to this blog has sent the following fascinating observation.
Lady Charlotte Guest, found the viaduct a source of total wonder and delight. In her journal entry for 25 October 1839 she describes a visit to the site while the bridge was under construction. It sounds as though John Guest was keen to show it off to a party of his friends, which included Edward Divett MP (he would be one of the trustees appointed to run the Dowlais Ironworks on Josiah John Guest’s death) and his fragile-sounding wife. Charlotte writes:-
When the carriages had reached that point of the turnpike road nearest to the viaduct, we got out and walked to it. There was more scrambling to get there than some of the ladies liked – We crossed by the scaffolding as I had done before & all the party went back over it in the same way except Merthyr and myself and we went over the bridge itself, scrambling over the rough masonry. – Three of the six arches were not closed and in these places we had planks thrown down across for us & I believe I was the first female that ever crossed this bridge, and at the height of some 70 or so feet it appeared a perilous undertaking thought it was not really so . The expedition fatigued Mrs Divett so much that she was not able to dine with us, which the men regretted, as we had a very pleasant evening and had some singers to entertain us with welsh songs.
Twelve years ago today, two plaques in Welsh and English were unveiled on Quakers Yard Viaduct to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s birth.
The Quakers Yard Viaduct was constructed as part of Brunel’s single-track Taff Vale Railway that connected Merthyr Tydfil to the docks at Cardiff. It carried the railway over the River Taff just south of Treharris.
The Taff Vale Railway was the first in Wales to be powered only by locomotives and the railway company that constructed it appointed Isambard Kingdom Brunel as engineer for the line and its structures. Its original track was standard gauge (4ft 8.5in or 1.435m). The northern section, from Abercynon to Merthyr Tydfil, opened on 12 April 1841, and the first rail traffic crossed Quakers Yard Viaduct on 21 April 1841.
Quakers Yard Viaduct during construction
The viaduct is slightly curved in plan and set at a skew angle to the river. Overall, it is 32.3m high, with six arches of 15.2m span each. The masonry is pennant sandstone, which has tooled detailing on all visible faces.
Brunel was concerned about the potential for damage the foundations of the river piers. To minimise this, the piers are octagonal in plan, aligned with their sides parallel to the river’s axis. This was an innovative idea, removing sharp corners that could obstruct river flow and possibly lead to cavitation. Substantial pediments cap the piers and the rounded arches have deep chamfers, echoing the angled pier faces.
The railway’s gradient between the Quakers Yard Viaduct and nearby Abercynon was too steep (up to 1 in 19) for the locomotives of the 1840s, so trains were cable-hauled by a stationary steam winding engine, which was located at the southern end of the viaduct.
In 1861-62, the structure was widened as part of the project to make the Taff Vale Railway double track throughout. Engineer John Hawkshaw (1811-91) designed the new work, which is of plainer masonry, with unchamfered arches and rectangular piers, and located immediately adjacent to the original against its outer curve, on the downstream (north) side.
In 1864, the cable-worked incline south of the viaduct was reconstructed at a shallower gradient (1 in 40). In addition, trains of the 1860s had more pulling power and did not require the winding engine.
In April 1988, the structure was Grade II* listed.
This particular woman may have sent shivers down the spine of pregnant ladies in our town, but not in bad way – it was the realisation they were about to go through the experience of child birth.
Nurse Dailey’s father was an army guard. Lillian qualified and did midwifery in London. She had the good sense to marry a Welsh man and move to Merthyr Tydfil where they lived in the Dowlais and Penydarren area. In her time, she delivered over one hundred babies.
Mrs Hazel Davies brought Lillian to my attention. Although Hazel was under the hospital with her two pregnancies, Lillian looked after her when she was having her two sons, who were Lillian’s great grandsons.
Thankfully, this was not Lillian’s only skill and passed onto Hazel the craft of crochet. The blanket of three hundred squares is safe in Hazel’s home along with happy memories of Nurse Dailey.
I nearly forgot to mention that this grand, proud lady lived to be one hundred years old.
Midwife Alice Ann Sussex
Here is another one people may remember. Alice covered the area of Troedyrhiw and surrounding areas. Although not a nurse, Alice was a fully trained midwife. The last baby she delivered was the sender of this information Mrs Sheila Sussex. In 1952, midwife Alice re-registered so she could help deliver Sheila, which is her granddaughter, and the last baby to be delivered by her. Thank you Sheila Sussex for sharing this with us.
I must add every one of us owes a huge debt to midwives from Merthyr Tydfil and beyond, we salute you all. We were all babies once and without them, perhaps we wouldn’t be here.
Below is a transcription of an article that appeared in the Weekly Mail 110 years ago today (4 April 1908):
SHOP-FLOOR COLLAPSE
OYSTER-BAR MISHAP AT MERTHYR
There, was an alarming occurrence at an oyster saloon in Glebeland Street, Merthyr, yesterday, the stone flooring of the shop giving way and several persons having narrow escapes from being killed.
Mrs. Flower, the occupier, was out at the time, and a servant-maid, named Flye, was standing behind the counter talking to her brother, and there were three other lads also in the shop. The boys were precipitated into the cellar below, but Flye saved himself from falling by clinging to the counter, which remained intact.
One of the lads, who lives in Paynters Terrace, Bethesda Street, was rather badly hurt, and was taken home in a cab, but, beyond shock, the others escaped injury.
On the surface of it this is a simple article, but it is also an fascinating study of social history. For instance – who knew that there was an oyster bar in Glebeland Street? Indeed, who knew that there was an oyster bar in Merthyr at all? Also, there are some interesting facts there for family historians and genealogists.
I think that so much can be learned from looking at old newspapers – sometimes you can learn far more from papers than from reading a serious history book.
The next chapel in our series is Wesley Chapel in Pontmorlais.
In 1790 Samuel Homfray, owner of the Penydarren Ironworks introduced a new process for making iron and needed to send to Yorkshire and Staffordshire for men to help carry out this new process.
The new workers were followers of John Wesley’s doctrines, and so started their own cause, meeting at their cottages near St Tydfil’s Church.
As the cause increased a larger meeting place had to be found and the ever-growing congregation started meeting in the Long Room of the Star Inn.
Again the congregation increased and it was decided to build a chapel. A piece of land was acquired beside the Morlais Brook near the small wooden bridge that carried the then small road from Merthyr to Penydarren and Dowlais.
Money was collected and the foundation stone was laid in 1796. Thomas Guest, son of John Guest the founder of the Dowlais Iron Works, who was an ardent Wesleyan and also a preacher, contributed £50 towards the building fund, and indeed preached at the chapel when it was completed. The chapel was completed in 1797 at a cost of £602.13s.7d. This was the first English chapel in Merthyr.
A drawing of the original Wesley Chapel
The congregation continued to grow and in 1860 it was decided that a new chapel should be built. The builders were Messrs Morgan & Edwards of Aberdare. There was a disagreement between the minister, Rev Josiah Matthews and the congregation about the size of the chapel, so after the site for the new chapel had been marked out with stakes, Rev Matthews waited until that night, went out to the site and moved the stakes to make the chapel larger. This subterfuge was not discovered, and it was not until the chapel was finished did Rev Matthews reveal what he had done. The chapel was completed in 1863 at a cost of £880 and was officially opened on 15 January 1863. Incorporated into the building was a house on the north side of the chapel which was intended to be used as a manse for the minister, but it was never used as such and was instead let to private tenants.
In 1871 the trustees of the chapel decided to have a new pipe organ so set up a fund called the “Debt and Organ Fund” to raise enough money to purchase an organ and pay off the remaining debt on the chapel. By 1873 enough money had been raised for the new organ and it was installed at a cost of £192.10s.0d.
In 1913, it was decided to build a new and very grand Central Wesleyan Mission Hall on Pontmorlais Road West across the Morlais Brook from the chapel, on the site of the Old Drill Hall. It would have been connected to the chapel by an arcade. Plans were actually drawn up for the Mission, but before building began the First World War broke out. Due to the subsequent upheaval, the plans were shelved and the Hall was never built.
The chapel closed on 30 December 1979 due to prohibitive costs for necessary repairs to the chapel, and the congregation moved to Dowlais Wesleyan Chapel. The building has been since used as a furniture shop, and an arts and crafts centre.
Although it is almost 60 years since I moved away from Iron Lane, memories remain fresh in my mind.
Iron Lane looking towards Georgetown School
In many ways it was a typical Welsh working class community replicated in Merthyr and throughout the whole of Wales. I lived at Number 29 with my parents and grandmother. These are personal memories. I am certain that others who lived in Iron Lane would remember other facets of the community. I will divide my memories into three sections – the house, the street and the people.
Number 29 Iron Lane
The house was part of a terrace of cottages. It consisted of a two up, two down with a ‘lean-to’ at the back. None of the modern conveniences were in the house – no indoor toilet, bathroom, piped hot water etc, so when I was old enough to realise, I knew that the area was ‘slum clearance’.
To enter the house, there was a large step going into the front room – ‘the best room’ for special visitors, with heavy Victorian furniture. This led to the next room – for eating, television and radio. Stone stairs led upstairs where a walk through bedroom led to another bedroom.
The ‘Back Room’ at Number 29 with a goose roasting in front of the fire
At the back downstairs was the ‘lean-to’ – for cooking, washing, food storage, plus one sink the ‘bosh’ with an electric water heater. This led to the garden – a path dividing raised sections. I remember having my part to grow flowers. There were tulips, chrysanthemums, bluebells etc. At the top right was the ‘coal cwtch’ with an asbestos roof with ‘snow on the mountain’ covering it. On the left a non-flush toilet – cool in the summer, freezing in the winter. To modern readers it seems an age away.
The garden at Number 29 with the toilet at the left and the ‘coal cwtch’ to the right
However, Iron Lane was a close community supporting each other in time of need. The street was parallel to the present day Nantygwenith Street. It was bisected by Howell Street. Iron Lane was a long street with the Georgetown Schools at the top and George Street at the bottom. At the top was a small factory belonging to ‘Dai the Up’ – an upholstery business. Leading off Iron Lane were some courts. Next door but two to Number 29 was Chandler’s Court, with a few houses leading to a small shop – Dai Chandler’s, and Nantygwenith Street. None of the houses had modern day conveniences.
A map of Georgetown showing Iron Lane
I remember a few events in the street. In 1955, a group of children marching and singing:
“Vote, vote, vote for S. O. Davies. He is the bestest of them all.”
Later on I remember a fight int he street. A highlight (pardon the pun) was a fire in the top part of Dai the Up’s business.
Iron Lane coronation party in 1953
Georgetown was convenient was convenient for town, but it also had its own schools, pubs, shops, chapels, a club, a ‘community centre’, fish shop and small factories. It was indeed a living community.
The people in Iron Lane I remember vividly. Next door were Uncle Willy and Auntie Maggie (not relations), an elderly childless couple. Auntie Maggie took me once to a service in Bethel Chapel on a Sunday morning. Next to them, Mr & Mrs Phillips and their daughter Beryl – so the names go on – Cloakley’s, Chamberlain’s, Twose, Coleman’s, Richards’. It was a working class community with the men (and some women) working in factories, in the pit or for the council. Of course there were no cars or phones. We children played in the street, or on the tip, or on a field by Chapel Row. We all went to local schools – Georgetown Infants, Abermorlais Junior and then in my case to Cyfarthfa.
I continued visiting Iron Lane as my grandmother was still living there until 1975 when she passed away. As time went on and people died or moved away, the houses were boarded up. My last visit was in the late 1970’s when there were just a few people left until the bulldozers came to destroy what was once a living, breathing society.
The next chapel in our series is Wesley Chapel in Pontmorlais.
