Tag: Merthyr Express

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From the Merthyr Express 80 years ago today…..

Merthyr Express – 16 May 1942

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.

There has not been much reference yet to Caedraw, nor can there be much recalled to describe. The Gas Works were erected here, a Mr Evans being the first manager, and a brother of his the deputy. There were two breweries near the end of the road joining Bridge Street, one owned by a Mr John Toop; the other, which was smaller, owned by Mr Anstie, who kept the shop in Pontmorlais previously. This Mr Anstie bought the property between the road in Caedraw and the Isle of Wight, and came to reside there after improving the buildings.

A section of the 1851 Public Health Map showing Caedraw

The basin tramroad was ordinarily used as a pedestrian thoroughfare, in fact many houses had no other way of approach. I cannot recall anyone ever being prevented from walking the tramroad, although it might not have always been judicious to do so on account of safety. Things are so altered now, and we are accustomed to the change, that it takes consideration to recall things quite decidedly. For instance, brakes to slacken the speed or stop conveyances were unknown. The ‘sprag’ was the only thing used, and these projected at variable distances from the wheels of the trams, if the trams were going fast – for they would occasionally run wild – it was a serious matter to be caught in any narrow part of the road. It was also a hazardous thing for the haulier to put them in or take them out, and many a limb as well as life has been lost by a slip.

As one instance of there being no other way of going to or coming from a residence on the Tramroad, somewhere behind the Morlais Castle Inn can be cited. It was the residence of Mr Roger Williams (I think it was his own property). He was a public functionary, but whether relieving officer or assistant overseer is not remembered now. If we went down the Tramroad towards Twynyrodyn, before coming to Professional Row we should see a door on the right hand. This is where a Mr Russell stayed. He was a brother of the Mr Russell who was the doctor of Dowlais, Penydarren and Plymouth Works at one time. He lived in the lowest of the three houses in Professional Row, and his surgery was at the back with public entrance from the Tramroad.

Old Mr Russell, his brother, and others attended the surgery, but the one very often attendant upon the patient was the brother, about whom I remember the remark that after enquiring as to symptoms he always gave two pills in a paper, and the patients were often (very often) so hurt, that the pills used to be thrown over the Tramroad wall into the field on the other side, whence they were collected to again be served out.

To be continued at a later date……

A Welsh Quilt

At the recent launch of the remarkable new book ‘Dowlais Educational Settlement and the Quaker John Dennithorne’ by Christine Trevett, local historian Terry Jones recognised someone on a photograph shown during the presentation. Following a discussion between Terry and Christine, it transpired that the photograph came from an article (below) which appeared in the Merthyr Express on 31 January 1948.

Terry subsequently put the article on his Facebook page, and received the following message:-

The lady on the left is my mother. She was asked to make a Welsh bed quilt to raise American dollars after World War II. She agreed and my Dad made a special frame for her to use because the quilt was so big. He made it so that she could quilt then turn the frame under until she got to the middle, then because the material and padding got so thick, she started from the other end. The lady with her is the lady who drew the pattern in special chalking. That alone was amazing because she had to stay in exact pattern all the way through although she couldn’t see the rolled under quilt. The designer’s name was Miss Neale (not sure of the spelling). Other people in the UK were asked to make things too and the dollars raised went to help the repayment of the dollar debt the UK owed to America.

My mother was Mrs Gwyneth Pritchard née Richards from Caeracca Farm. She was living in 41 Edward Street when she was working on this quilt and it took up the whole of the front room. The furniture had to be removed to make room for the the frame to fit in.

At the end of the making it was put on exhibition in London, along with all the other hand made contributions and the Queen’s grandmother. Queen Mary wrote Mam a letter of congratulations to Mam for her excellence in work done on the quilt. I would love if we could find out who it was that eventually bought the Quilt.

One other incident that may raise a smile. When Mam was working on it, my sister Lynfa who was about two at the time, sat most of the time under the quilt. Mam had her there to keep an eye on her, and make sure she was safe.

Sybil Watkins

Many thanks to Terry Jones and Sybil Watkins for allowing me to use this article.

If you would like to purchase a copy of ‘Dowlais Educational Settlement and the Quaker John Dennithorne’ by Christine Trevett, please contact me at merthyr.history@gmail.com and I will pass your details on to the Merthyr Tydfil and District Historical Society who published the book.

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.

Charles Herbert James (1817-1890), M.P. for Merthyr between 1880 and 1888

It may, perhaps, be apropros to explain as to the basin and Merthyr Tramroad. In “Tredgold on Railways” it is stated that the tramroad was made under Parliamentary powers, but upon my saying so in his hearing the late Mr Charles Herbert James told me it was not so, but that it was constructed by private arrangement. Be that, however, as it may, it is certain it was made with a branch to the canal at Merthyr, and the total number of shares was 14, of which nine belonged to the Dowlais Company, three to the Penydarren, and two to the Plymouth Companies.

These proportions remained until the Dowlais Company’s application to Parliament to construct the branch from the Taff Vale Railway to Dowlais, when, after a good deal of fighting, the Dowlais Company agreed to hand over their interest in the Tramroad if the opposing companies withdrew opposition.

It may, perhaps, be unknown to some of your readers that Parliament would not give powers to make a railway unless it was shown to be a public benefit, and, therefore, the conveyance of passengers as well as goods, other than the requirements of the works, had to be proved and the obligation of carrying for the public undertaken. The Act was passed, and the line being made, passengers were taken to Dowlais down the incline. Through carriages were run from Cardiff, and were detached at the bottom of the incline, and reconnected as necessary, but it did not do very well, and a fatal accident arising from the carriages running wild caused a discontinuance of that passenger traffic.

As far as can be recollected, some buses were started to run, but they were subsidized by the Dowlais Company for some time. At the first opening of the Taff Vale Railway to Merthyr – it had previously opened to Navigation (Abercynon) – the Dowlais Company made a connection, and drew their buses to the Basin tramroad alongside of what is now the connection; unloading, or rather, the transfer of their traffic from the railway to the tramroad being carried out at the foot of the incline. For their assistance by way of evidence, Mr John Locke, the engineer of the then so-called Grand Junction Railway was had, and in describing the old tramroad, he distinctly stated it was not usable for locomotives. Upon its being conveyed to him that there was in the committee room a person who had gone over it on an engine with load scores, if non hundreds of times, he corrected his stated, and qualified it by adding “not economically”.

It has been stated that nine shares were given up by the Dowlais Company; of these, five were apportioned to Penydarren, and four to Plymouth, their respective shares thus becoming: Penydarren, eight; Plymouth, six. Although the Penydarren Works came to a stop, these shares continued as an appanage, and upon the acquisition and re-starting of Penydarren by the Plymouth Company, the shares naturally passed to that company, and although the whole has now become of little value (at least, at the present) it would seem as if the old road from Penydarren end was now entirely vested in the Plymouth Company.

A map showing Merthyr’s Tramroads

To be continued at a later date…..

The Star Inn

by Carolyn Jacob

Not to be confused with the Star Inn in Sand Street, Dowlais, the old Star Inn was at number 19 Lower High Street, Merthyr town. Few people now remember the old Star Inn as it was demolished in 1960.

The Star Inn. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

In the nineteenth century there were a number of early coaching inns in Merthyr, the most famous being the Star Inn. The Star Inn was thought to be the oldest inn and the only one of any consequence for a long time; its position in the old ‘village’ area of Merthyr Tydfil and near to the parish church seems to confirm this. The first justice – room was at the Star. The earliest directory of 1792 shows that Margaret Jenkins was the landlady here. She is described as a doughty if slapdash matriarch by Chris Evans in ‘The Labyrinth of Flames’.

In July 1797 a special dinner for the local ironmasters was held in the Star Inn. The ironmasters were frequently at loggerheads with each other and this was a move towards better understanding. It was recorded in March 1800 that a group of ironmasters and coal owners met together in the Star Inn to petition Parliament for better security of their industrial enterprises.

William Hamilton visited Merthyr Tydfil in 1801 and was a guest of Richard Crawshay at Cyfarthfa House. He later wrote to Emma of this visit according to ‘Emma, Lady Hamilton’ by M. Hardwick. Sir William Hamilton, Lady Emma, Horatio Nelson and others visited Merthyr Tydfil in July 1802. Lord Nelson had begun a tour of South Wales and made a detour from the main route to Milford Haven to travel south to the Iron Works of Merthyr Tydfil, where the iron was manufactured for naval cannon.

Horatio Nelson by Lemuel Francis Abbott

He is reputed to have stayed at the Star Inn, near St Tydfil’s Church. It is said that a large admiring crowd gathered around the Inn where Nelson stayed. If he had hoped to have a quiet time in this ‘backwater’ with Lady Hamilton he was mistaken. Nelson was the main hero and idol of his day. An account says that whilst a band under his window played ‘Rule Britannia’; Nelson cheered and received’ three hearty cheers from the crowd’.

Pigot’s directory of 1835 lists John Richards as the Star’s landlord. John Griffiths, born in Crickhowell was the licensed victualler on the 1851 census. His 15 year old daughter, Tabitha, was the barmaid. As well as his wife, 4 sons and daughter, there were 2 general servants and another 2 visitors staying overnight in the Star. They included Llewellyn Williams, a harpist and a William Lewis a general labourer. Listed in directories in 1853, 1855 and 1857 John and Mary Griffiths and their children were still in the Star in 1861. The Young Britons Friendly Society met in the Star Inn at this time Slater’s 1889 directory lists Mary Griffiths as the landlady.

According to the 1901 census returns Octavius J. Davies was the licensed victualler of the Star. As well as his wife, two sons, daughter and cousin residing in the Star, there was a visitor, 7 boarders and a domestic servant. Among the boarders was Alfred Norton a circus proprietor and three music hall artists. By the 1911 census Octavius John had given up working as a landlord for work above ground in a colliery. According to the Merthyr Express, 28 August 1909, Thomas Henry Hamer, who was landlord of the Star Inn in 1909, seems to have been rather slack in his control and he was fined 40s. and costs for permitting drunkenness. The Merthyr Express recorded on 6 November 1909  that John; Humphreys, a North Walian, was summoned at the Merthyr Police Court for being drunk at the Star Inn, Merthyr, on Sunday, October 3rd. P.C. Rees said that with Detective Evans he visited the house, and saw several men there. Two said they came from Aberfan and two from Senghenydd.

In July 1910 there was a sale of freehold ground rents at Merthyr at the Bush Hotel, Merthyr, Messrs. J. M. Berry and Son offered for sale by public auction a number of freehold ground rents on the Llancaiach Estates. There was a large attendance of bidders. £30 per annum secured upon the Star Inn, High-street, Merthyr, together with the slaughter-houses and yard at the rear, the premises being subject to a lease of 30 years, from September 1901. According to Kelly’s 1923 trade directory William D Jones was the landlord then. An old photograph of The Star was given to Merthyr Library by the fashion designer Julien Macdonald, whose family once ran the pub. Sadly The Star Inn was demolished on 12 March 1960, and today only the Crown Inn remains of the original first ‘coaching inns’.

The Star Inn being demolished in 1960. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive