Tag: Canolfan Soar

Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society

The Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society is pleased to announce details of forthcoming lectures.

Monday 2 September 2019
The Rev Maber and Merthyr’s Glebelands
Barrie Jones

Monday 7 October 2019
Anthony Bacon (1717-1786) ‘A Man of Foresight’
Founder of Cyfarthfa Ironworks
Mary Owen

Monday 4 November 2019
Some Aspects of Early Nineteenth Century Housing in Merthyr Tydfil
Clive Thomas

Monday 2 December 2019
Evan Roberts the Evangelist
David Pike

Meetings are held at Canolfan Soar at 7.00pm
Membership – £10 per annum
Non members – £2 per lecture

ALL ARE WELCOME

Merthyr Historical Society Talk

Life and Times of an Eccentric Welsh Jew

This talk is given by Lionel Elton who was born in Cardiff into a world in turmoil, just as Hitler came to power, and found himself back in Wales when some of the worst aspects of those times seem to be in the ascendancy once more.

Lionel has always considered himself to be something of a square peg in a round hole, never comfortable to blindly accept what he was told and taught. He believes that his curious, questing, questioning nature has helped him find a place in the grand scheme of things, which is both informed and balanced.

Hopefully everyone in the audience will discover something new, or something to be entertained by, or something just to quietly ponder.

All this and live music too!

A Celebration of Adelina Patti

Emanuela Barazia-Joll (wife of Merthyr-born opera star Phillip Joll) and her students of “The-Joy-of-Singing-Studio” are happy to announce the next Concert in honour of opera star Adelina Patti (Madrid 10 Feb 1843 – Craig y Nos 27 September 1919).
All ready for Adelina, is my new motto! We’ll celebrate this cosmopolitan citizen of the world and Belcantista sublime who was born in Madrid from Italian parents and grew up in USA, but felt in love with Wales. She left this world a hundreds years ago but lives forever, and we’ll sing under her star and the ones of fellow musicians who lived during her period. Emanuela, as mezzosoprano-Falcon, will portray a personal picture of Patti, with anecdotes and curious aspects of her life, and with my fellow singers we will sing a large variety of songs composed or inspired by the Victorian era in which Adelina Patti lived. We are happy to announce the participation of the lovely harpist Arween and to invite all of you to participate and sing something with us, to have some prosecco for the very special Traviata toast at the end!

Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society – 2019 Lecture Programme

The committee of the Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society are pleased to announce the programme for 2019’s lectures.

The Merthyr Tydfil Historical Society meet at Canolfan Soar at 7.00 on the first Monday of the month – please come along….all are welcome.

4 February
Robert Jones An Historical Walk around Abercynon
4 March
Anne Watts The Last Tsar of Russia
1 April
David Maddox Voices: Valley Women’s Lives 1900-1918
13 May
Victoria Owens Lady Charlotte Guest
3 June
Klavdija Erzen History of Jews in South Wales
1 July
Society AGM
2 September
Barrie Jones The Rev Maber and Merthyr’s Glebelands
7 October
Mary Owen To be announced
4 November
Clive Thomas Some Aspects of Early Nineteenth Century Housing in Merthyr Tydfil
2 December
David Pike Evan Roberts the Evangelist

Book Launch

Prominent local historians Wilf and Mary Owen have written a new book about the birth and growth of industrial Merthyr Tydfil.

Once Upon a Time in Merthyr Tydfil…
The Birth and Growth of an Industrial Town 
by Wilf and Mary Owen
 
will be launched at Canolfan Soar 
on Tuesday 31 July 31  at 11 a.m.

A Hidden Grave

Most people will have visited Zoar Chapel – either when it was still being used as a chapel, or more recently since its renovation and transformation into Canolfan Soar. How many of you knew, however, that there is a secret grave inside the building?

In 1841 the membership of Zoar Chapel had grown to such an extent that it was decided that a new, larger building was needed to accommodate the growing congregation. They decided that the new chapel should be 66 feet by 63 feet – making it one of the largest chapels in the town.

To accommodate the new building, as well as building over the graveyard, which was subsequently vaulted under the new chapel, the committee had to purchase several pieces of ground from Mr Abraham Bowen, a local businessman for £300. As the orientation of the new building was to be turned 180°, three small houses would need to be purchased from Mr John Morgan, a puddler in the Cyfarthfa Ironworks, for the entrance to the new chapel.

The grave in the cupboard at Zoar Chapel – the top can be seen just against the back wall.

John Morgan agreed to sell the houses for £200, but he stipulated that he and his family should have a vault set aside for them and they eventually be buried within the chapel. As it is set out in the agreement of 31 May 1841:-

“The said John Morgan in consideration of the sum of £200.00 to be secured in the after agreement to sell unto Benjamin Owen, a piece or parcel of ground situated at the back of Zoar Chapel for its rebuild.

John Morgan his executor’s administrators and assigns sufficient space beneath the surface of the said ground at the spot marked “A” in the said plan for a vault to be made by him or Zoar executors at his own expense in length eight feet in width, and three feet in depth, eight feet with of liberty entrance and accepts thereof and which said space at the southern side, which said space is to be arched over securely by the said Rev Benjamin Owen for the residue of 195 years by indenture of lease dated 22nd June 1802 made by Walter Walters and Henry Thomas known as Harri Blawdd (Henry the flour) for a yearly pepper corn rent.”

Indeed John Morgan and his family were eventually interred within Zoar Chapel and their grave can still be seen in small room to the left of the former pulpit.

A close up of the grave.

Photos courtesy of Canolfan Soar.