The Melting Pot – Merthyr Tydfil's History and Culture
In Association with the Merthyr Tydfil & District Historical Society
The summer of 1899 was one of the hottest on records in Britain, indeed, it was recorded that it was the fourth hottest summer recorded since 1659. As a result of the weather, the whole of the country was suffering from a drought. Merthyr was no exception, however in August of that year, a number of burst water mains in the town exacerbated the situation.
These problems were reported in several newspapers 120 years ago today (26 August 1899):-
…..and on a lighter note:-
by Ann Lewis
During the First World War, Seymour Berry rendered valuable service to the country, by relieving Lord Rhondda of his business responsibilities, so releasing him for important work as a Cabinet Minister. After the war, he became director of over 80 public and other companies, including the great Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds, eventually becoming its chairman.
He was without doubt the most generous benefactor Merthyr has ever known. Indeed the family over the years gave a total of £100,000 to the people of Merthyr. He was awarded the title Lord Buckland of Bwlch in 1926.
His tragic death two years later in 1928 as a result of a riding accident was a great loss to the people of Merthyr. A fund was opened, and over 50,000 people contributed, but by far the largest portion was given by his wife, Lady Buckland and his brothers, Lord Camrose and Lord Kemsley.
The fund was used to build the Lord Buckland Memorial Hospital which was officially opened on 5 June 1931 and cost over £40,000 to complete. The new hospital was connected to the General Hospital by a corridor, where a lift and a stairway provided access to the upper floors.
The entrance, off Alexandra Road, was where the opening of the new part of the hospital took place, when Lord Camrose unlocked the door. This was followed by the unveiling of the Memorial Panel by Mr W. R. Lysaght, C.B.E. The inscription read:-
“This hospital was erected by Public subscription as a memorial to Henry Seymour Berry, first Baron Buckland of Bwlch. A native of this town. Knight of Grace of the Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. 3rd Honorary Freeman of the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil. Chairman of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds.
In recognition of the high ideal of citizenship displayed in his generous gifts for the alleviation of suffering in the town and for increasing the happiness and prosperity of his fellowmen.”
The people of Merthyr gratefully appreciated the hospital and it remained a voluntary one until 1948, when all hospitals were transferred to the Ministry of Health. Our area came under the care of the Merthyr and Aberdare Hospital Management Committee.
Many improvements have been made over the years; they include the new theatre, opened in 1960 when the area behind the Buckland Hospital was extended. By 1962 the right hand side of the first floor of the Buckland building was converted as an extension to the children’s ward, and was later used as the Special Care Baby Unit.
In the 1970’s Prince Charles Hospital was built, and the building of a new large, modern hospital had repercussions for all of the other hospitals in Merthyr. In 1978, when the first phase of Prince Charles Hospital opened, the General Hospital closed to be adapted to receive several departments from St Tydfil’s Hospital, while it was being refurbished.
In 1980, the Maternity and Special Baby Care units were transferred to the Buckland Hospital and the department for the Care of the Elderly was transferred to the main hospital.
In 1986, with the refurbishment of St Tydfil’s complete, the Care of the Elderly department was moved there, and the main building of the General Hospital closed. At this time the Sandbrook and Berry wards were demolished.
The Buckland Hospital remained open until 1991 when phase 2 of Prince Charles Hospital was finished and the Maternity and Special Baby Care units were transferred, and the building was subsequently demolished.
The main hospital building still stands but is in a pitiful state. There is a proposal to turn the building into 23 new homes. Let’s hope that the refurbishment will be sympathetic to the history of a building that the local people gave so much of their time, energy and money to build for the people of Merthyr.
A fuller history of the General Hospital by Ann Lewis is available in Volume 4 of the Merthyr Historian.
by Ann Lewis
As the years passed the demands on the hospital increased and there was a serious lack of accommodation, so much so, that many urgent cases had to be sent to the Workhouse Infirmary. The Board of Governors felt that while there was nothing wrong with the treatment the patients received at the Infirmary, it was unfair that these men, who would have had to pay between 15 and 16 shillings a week for their maintenance there (a great deal of money in the 1910-20s) as they were already contributing to the fund of the General Hospital.
The doctors and staff were greatly concerned and approached Mr Henry Seymour Berry (right). Mr Seymour Berry, who later became Lord Buckland, was another man who played a prominent part in the development of the hospital.
After being approached, Seymour Berry offered a site on the Gurnos Estate (obviously before the development of the Gurnos Estate as we know it today), which was the area behind his home at Gwaelodygarth House, and £10,000 to erect temporary buildings to meet the emergency. His offer was rejected however, as it was felt that the site was inaccessible both for the patients and staff.
At one time, the Board of Governors had intended to purchase part of the Avenue to extend the hospital to accommodate between two to three hundred beds. It was decided to use the £10,000 to extend the hospital with two more wards, which cost just over £14,000 to complete. A lift and long corridor connected the front section with the new wards. A plaque was erected in the corridor which reads:-
“This building was presented by Mr and Mrs H. Seymour Berry as an addition to the Merthyr General Hospital October 1922”.
One ward was named after his mother Mrs M. A. Berry, the other after his mother-in-law Mrs R. Sandbrook. The building was intended to last 10 years although I doubt if Lord Buckland would have realised it would still be in use 63 years later, for the care of the geriatric patients, while St. Tydfil’s Hospital was being upgraded.
At Whitsun of 1923 the people of Merthyr held the first Fete and Gala in Lord Buckland’s honour, with all the proceeds in aid of the hospital. The carnival pageant which started at the fountain at the bottom of town stretched over 2 miles. It took over 1½ hours to travel through the town to be judged in front of Cyfarthfa Castle. There was the children’s fancy dress parade and many floats, one with the old woman who lived in a shoe and another holding the ‘Fete Queen’.
This first fete proved a great success and continued for 25 years with thousands attending each year to witness events like the death defying dive from a high platform into a tank of water, tight-rope walkers, comedy acrobats, gymnasts, and for many years there was a football match on bicycles with Merthyr vs. the rest. There were the horse and dog shows. And if anyone required a cup of tea it could be bought at the big tent. The Brass Bands played in the bandstand, and there was fierce competition between the many jazz bands taking part, some playing their ‘guzutes’. Great fun!
Each political ward throughout the Borough had their own stalls and there was friendly competition one against the other to see who could raise the most money. The young nurses in full uniform were sent around the town with collecting boxes and by the time they reached the park their tins were full.
In these 25 years £60,000 had been raised with a debt of gratitude owed to the committee and the ladies of the Borough for the many hours of voluntary work put into making it such a success.
Even though the fete and Gala was a great money making event, it was by no means sufficient for the smooth running of the hospital. We have already mentioned the weekly contributions, and the gifts and bequests but events like dances, whist drives, cricket matches etc., were held throughout the year. Most Merthyr people were involved one way or another and local clubs, societies and later factories contributed and took a pride in supporting their hospital.
When the Dowlais and Merthyr United Choir went to the Queen’s Hall in London in 1936, 80% of the 220 choristers were unemployed, but all proceeds went to aid the hospital.
To be continued…..
by Ann Lewis
I suppose it’s difficult for us to imagine what life would be like without a hospital in an hour of need, but before 1888 Merthyr had only a small six-bedded Cottage Hospital for children at Bridge Street.
There was the workhouse for the sick paupers and Mrs Clark’s Hospital at Dowlais which had closed six years earlier. There was also a Fever Hospital at Pant, built in 1869, and another at Tydfil’s Well. These were totally inadequate for the needs of a town the size of Merthyr, with the many accidents that occurred at the Ironworks and collieries. When accidents did occur the doctors would have to perform operations on a kitchen table or at the doctor’s surgery.
The Voluntary Hospital had for some time existed in London and other large cities. These were maintained by gifts and bequests from individuals and groups. The patients did not have to pay for treatment, for the doctors gave of their skills freely and in doing so gained a great deal of prestige and power in the management of the hospital.
By February 1886 the caring people associated with the Cottage Hospital formed a group with the sole aim of improving the facilities in Merthyr for the sick and injured. They included Drs. Biddle, Cresswell, Webster, Ward and Dr Dyke who had founded the Children’s Hospital at his home called ‘The Hollies’ in Bridge Street, Merthyr with the Rev J Griffiths the then Rector of Merthyr and Sir W T Lewis, who later became Lord Merthyr.
It was through Sir W. T. Lewis that the Marquis of Bute offered the sum of £1,000 towards the building of a voluntary hospital at Merthyr, and £1,000 towards the upkeep, provided the people of Merthyr raised the remainder of the money for the building. A meeting was held at the Temperance Hall and the people of Merthyr responded by raising £5,220 – a very large sum of money in those days.
The Clock field was chosen as a suitable site between Dowlais and Merthyr because Dowlais was equally as important as Merthyr at that time. It was opposite the Old Penydarren Works and the freehold cost £300. The foundation stone was laid by Sir W T Lewis in June 1887. Lewis was greatly involved with the hospital and had donated ‘35,000 pennies’ which he had received from the members of the Provident Society, which he had helped found, on the occasion of his knighthood.
The new hospital had two ten-bedded wards. The first, The Lady Ann Lewis Ward, was named after Sir W T Lewis’ wife, who was the grand-daughter of Robert and Lucy Thomas the first exporters of steam coal in South Wales. The second ward was St Luke’s Ward. There was also a small four bedded ward for children, which was the room used as the operating theatre opposite Ann Lewis Ward for many years. The original theatre had been opposite St Luke’s Ward, in what later became the General Office. Next to the original theatre were the splint and instrument rooms and the Dispensary.
The Hospital had a Board of Governors and they were the policy making body. Anyone could be a governor for the sum of £2 per year. Thousands of people helped to maintain the hospital voluntarily. The workers at the Ironworks and Collieries were asked to contribute a farthing a week or a penny per month or one shilling per year towards the cost. It seems a very small amount to us now, but not in 1888. Any donation above £100 was recorded for all to see on a large board at the entrance hall.
Many people endowed beds in memory of loved ones and would maintain the endowment over 12 months. When the hospital opened, it required £500 per year to cover expenses; by 1940 – £6,000 and by 1950 – £52,000, but wages were blamed for the last increase.
In 1895, as part of Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee Celebration, an Accident Receiving Ward was endowed by Sir W T Lewis. A stained glass window was commissioned by the High Constable of Merthyr, Mr Frank James, a solicitor and clerk to the Board of Guardians, to honour Lewis’ gesture. On 4 April 1900 a statue of Sir W T Lewis was erected outside the hospital in recognition of these services and the honour conferred upon him by Queen Victoria, in raising him to the Baronetcy.
To be continued….
On 1 October 1888 – 130 years ago today, Merthyr’s first purpose built hospital opened its doors.
Here is a report of the opening from the South Wales Daily News:
From the South Wales Daily News 130 years ago today (1 September 1888).
by Irene Janes
On 7 February, 1928, Rose Marie Stephens danced her way into the world. At school she was given the much-loved nickname Steve.
Even before she attended Cyfarthfa Grammar School, she immersed herself in her love of music and ballet. As a qualified State Registered Nurse, Rose Marie worked for several years in Merthyr at the General Hospital. 1951 saw her marry Vivian Evans from Rhydycar. The next eight years they lived in Oxford, Cuckfield and London and it was in that city her passion for the arts were rekindled. Nevertheless, even the capital could not hold on to her talent, and after the birth of their two children, Sheridan and Christopher, offers for Rose Marie and her husband Vivian led them to a four year stint in New Zealand (where their third child Sian was born). They set off to show the world ‘Merthyr’s got talent’ (sorry could not resist).
The Massey University benefitted from her talents as a choreographer and director; this gave her significant experience with several theatre and ballet companies. She also ventured into the world of radio as an (unseen of course) actress and radio presenter. However, those dancing feet would not rest and so in 1964 they took the family to Fiji.
At Fiji and the Suva University, Rose-Marie again worked as a choreographer and director. Her new home encouraged her to open her first ballet school, which continued under her name for many years after she had left. So where does she take us now?
Australia, to be precise, and the Western Australian Ballet Company as a choreographer, director, radio actress and presenter, whilst incorporating prominent theatre rolls from Shakespeare to modern musicals.
Rose Mary often returned briefly to Merthyr, but in 1969 another opportunity beckoned with a contract with the National Theatre Company, and so the family returned to Australia where she performed with the West Australian Ballet Company. Here she opened her own contemporary dance school and helped Rudolph Nureyev on his Australian touring production. Performances with the Western Australian Ballet School gave her prominent standing amongst the ballet community. Twice she won the Australia Best Actress Award judged by her peers and critics in 1969 and 1979. Her talent was noticed in Japan and they offered her an acting contract there, but family matters took over and she had to decline.
A number of her students went on to become prominent television and stage actors. One of them is Paul Mercuiro who is regarded as Australia’s greatest dancer who played, or should I say danced, the part of Scott Hastings in the cult film ‘Strictly Ballroom’.
However never one to give in Rose Marie created a theatre and arts department at Perth High School in the late 1980’s. It closed in 2006, but luckily it is due to be reopened in the same location. Her former students are lobbying the education department to have the arts wing to named after her.
Aged 50, Rose Marie pushed on and returned to full time study gaining a degree in teaching while working as a university lecturer. She was assigned a task of developing a Theatre Arts department at one of Western Australians most pre-eminent schools, City Beach Senior High School.
In the mid 1990’s she returned to the U.K. to settle with her daughter Sian. Although thousands of miles between them, Rose Marie and many of her students kept in touch, and she followed their achievements. Rose Marie died on 10 January 2017 and to the end she always liked being known as Steve Evans perhaps this is why combined with her travel lust, Merthyr lost sight of this talented shining star.
Following on from the mention of Sir William Thomas Lewis in the previous post, here is an article that was published in the Cardiff Times 116 years ago today about the unveiling of the statue of him that stood for many years outside Merthyr General Hospital.
The statue is now situated outside the surviving part of St Tydfil’s Hospital.
