From the Cardiff Times 110 years ago today…
Retirement of a Headmistress
Merthyr’s Chapels: Radcliffe Hall, Penydarren
The next chapel we are going to look at is Radcliffe Hall Forward Movement Methodist Chapel in Penydarren.
In 1901, members of Hermon and Libanus Chapels in Dowlais started meeting in Penydarren Boys School, and started a Sunday School in the long room of The New Inn, Penydarren.
By 1902 numbers had grown sufficiently for the congregation to build their own chapel. Three cottages were purchased at a cost of £550, and converted into a meeting place which they called Samaria.
On 28 December 1903 Rev E R Jones of Machynlleth was inducted as the new minister. With the advent of the new minister the congregation flourished and it became obvious that a new place of worship was needed. A new building designed by Messrs Habbershon & Faulkner of Cardiff was built by Mr Samuel Evans of Dowlais at a cost of £2,344.
At the stone laying ceremony on 15 December 1904, Mr W Henry Radcliffe the owner of an important shipping company in Cardiff, and a prominent member of the Forward Movement contributed £100 pounds to the building fund. Radcliffe was born in Dowlais and had lived for a time near the site of the new Chapel. In recognition of his generosity it was decided that the new chapel would be called Radcliffe Hall.
On 3 September 1908 the elders of the chapel decided that the cause should become an English cause, and as a result, on 25 October 1908 Rev E R Jones gave his last sermon and announced his resignation due to a combination of ill health and not being happy with the change to an English cause.
During the spring of 1913, the congregation at Radcliffe Hall faced a dispute with the owners of a new cinema which planned to be built next door to the chapel. A committee was set up to oppose the scheme, and every other chapel in Penydarren rallied to support Radcliffe Hall. Due to the public support for the chapel, the committee won their case and the cinema, The Cosy, was eventually built further along the High Street.
Radcliffe Hall closed in 1964 and the building was destroyed by fire in 1976.
Merthyr’s Turkish Baths
by Malcolm Shifrin
Not much is yet known about the early history of this Turkish bath, set up two or three years after the first Welsh establishment opened at Church Place, Neath, in 1864. From the chronology, it seems that Thomas Atkins ran it with his wife until the incorporation of the Merthyr Turkish Bath Co Ltd in 1871. This company originally intended to build a new Turkish bath. Perhaps closer investigation suggested that the town would not be able to support a second establishment, or the company was deterred by the cost. However, for whatever reason, the directors decided that the easier way forward would be to purchase the existing bath and get Atkins to remain on as manager.
Some time between 1881 and 1884, Thomas Atkins died and a new manager, Edmund Frayley, was brought in from Neath where he had been manager of the Church Place Turkish baths since the early 1870s. The company retained Atkins’ widow Mary to manage the baths on Tuesdays when they were reserved for use by women.
By 1890, the company seems to have been in financial difficulties. The baths had been in existence for over twenty years and it could be that they were now in need of major refurbishment which the company could not afford, or which a reduced number of bathers discouraged them from undertaking. A liquidator, David Robert Lewis, was appointed, and he sold the establishment to William Pool.
Pool immediately set about renovating, improving, enlarging and publicising the baths. And he wasn’t shy about making claims for the therapeutic benefits of the Turkish bath, claiming that it was specially recommended ‘To sufferers from Rheumatism, Colds, Sciatica, &c’, claims which were not unreasonable compared with those of many others who claimed the bath as a medical panacea.
As was so often the case, an establishment which was unable to make a profit large enough to satisfy its shareholders, continued quite satisfactorily to provide for the needs of a sole proprietor.
In 1897, a local business directory included an advertorial for the baths which gives a good impression of how they looked after the renovations.
To the left of the main entrance was a carpeted reception room and, to the right, the cooling-room with changing cubicles and velvet covered divans for relaxation. Refreshments were available from an attendant who could be summoned ‘by just touching the electric bell push overhead.’
Two hot rooms were maintained at temperatures of 140°F and 200°F, and there was a shampooing room clad in chocolate coloured glazed bricks, with a ‘shower bath apparatus’. There, according to the advertorial, ‘by scientific manipulation at the hands of a trained masseur, every nerve and muscle of the human frame is restored to its natural action and elasticity’.
The Turkish bath also included a 36 x 25 foot swimming pool equipped with an aquatic trapeze and swinging apparatus by means of which ‘the swimmer may disport and launch himself with ease into shallow or deeper water, as he may desire’. An earlier reference to the swimming pool indicates that if was from three to six feet deep.
The baths were last noted as being open in 1918.
| 1868 | Baths (including Turkish baths) Thomas Atkins (Propr and Superintendent) |
| 1871 | Merthyr Turkish baths Thomas Atkins (Propr) |
| 1871 | Merthyr Turkish baths Merthyr Turkish Bath Company Limited (Proprs) Thomas Atkins (Mgr) |
| 1881 | Merthyr Turkish baths Merthyr Turkish Bath Company Limited (Proprs) Thomas Atkins (Mgr) |
| 1884 | Merthyr Turkish baths Merthyr Turkish Bath Company Limited (Proprs) Edmund J Frayley (Mgr); Mrs Mary Atkins (Mgress) |
| 1890 | Merthyr Turkish baths Merthyr Turkish Bath Company Limited (Proprs) Edmund J Frayley (Mgr); Mrs Mary Atkins (Mgress) |
| 1891 | Merthyr Turkish baths William Pool (Propr and Mgr) |
| 1901 | Merthyr Turkish baths William Pool (Propr and Mgr) |
| 1906 | Merthyr Turkish baths John Morgan (Propr) |
| 1918 | Merthyr Turkish baths John Morgan (Propr) |
For more information and to view the original article, please visit https://tinyurl.com/ycapx2lh.
If anyone has any further information about the Turkish Baths, please get in touch with Malcolm Shifrin (via the link above) or myself via the e-mail shown.
Great Art Exhibition
140 years ago today…..
Air Raid Shelters at Cyfarthfa Castle
The article transcribed below appeared in the Merthyr Express 80 years ago today (25 May 1940)….
SCHOOL CELLARS AT CYFARTHFA
SUGGESTED USE AS SHELTERS
A suggestion that some of the cellars at the Cyfarthfa Castle should be used as air raid shelters for pupils attending the Cyfarthfa Girls’ Secondary School in preference to the scheme of dispersal to the woods nearby, was put forward by Miss A.C. Davenport, B.Sc., the headmistress, at Wednesday’s meeting of the Merthyr Higher Education Committee.
Mr Andrew Wilson, J.P., the vice-chairman presided.
Miss Davenport said that she would like to use some of the cellars to accommodate the pupils in the event of an air raid, but she understood that permission to do so would have to be obtained from the Museum Committee. Parents were asking what arrangements were being made for the safety of the children, and she was very anxious about it. She had been advised that the cellars were the safest place, and she would like to give the girls practice in order that they would be calm and assured if an air raid did take place.
The school was about 10 minutes from the nearest house. It was either a question of sending the pupils out into the surrounding district or finding accommodation for them in the cellars, and she believed the latter course to be the better.
Mr B.J. Williams pointed out that the heads of the secondary schools were given an open hand to make their arrangements for the safety of the children. As far as the cellars under the museum and school were concerned, he could assure Miss Davenport that anything that could be done, would be done.
Mr Andrew Wilson: I understand that some of the valuable exhibits from the museum have been placed in these cellars.
Miss Davenport: Yes, I suppose they are more valuable than the human lives above.
Mr D. J. Davies, M.A., B.Sc., the headmaster of the Cyfarthfa Boys’ Secondary School, said that he supported Miss Davenport’s suggestion. If there was any accommodation in the cellars which was not required for another purpose he believed the schools should be allowed to use it. There were, however, about 300 girls and 300 boys of the schools and there would not be enough room for all of them in the cellars, but a hundred of the smallest pupils could be sent down there. He was quite prepared to let the girls use the corridors in the boys’ school. They had adopted the scheme of dispersal but he thought that the Castle provided such a target that dispersal to the woods would not be safe. He believed that the schools should be given assistance to dig trenches for added protection.
After further discussion it was decided to refer the matter to the special committee dealing with A.R.P. in schools.
A follow up article appeared in the Merthyr Express on 1 June 1940….
Cyfarthfa Cellars Not Fit For Shelters.
MISS DAVENPORT’S REMARK CRITICISED
A statement made last week at a meeting of the Higher Education Committee by Miss A. C. Davenport, B.SC., headmistress of Cyfarthfa Castle Girls Secondary School, on the provisions made for the pupils of her school in the event of an air raid evinced a reply from Mr F. T. James, chairman of the Museum Committee, at Tuesdays meeting of Merthyr Corporation.
The Mayor (Mr J. W Watkin, J.P.) presided.
It will be recalled that Miss. Davenport told the Higher Education Committee that she would like the use of some of the cellars underneath the Cyfarthfa Museum to accommodate the pupils during an air raid, but she understood that permission had to be obtained from the Museum Committee before that could be done. Mr Andrew Wilson, who presided at that meeting, said that he understood that valuable exhibits from the museum were stored in the cellars, and Miss Davenport replied that “she supposed that they were more valuable than human lives above.”
Referring to the matter on Tuesday, Mr F. T. James said that he had seen in the Merthyr Express that Miss Davenport had stated that she could not agree to the dispersal scheme system and would rather accommodate them in the cellars. She alleged, said Mr James, that the Museum Committee thought more of the storing of exhibits than the lives of the children.
“That is a most unwarrantable thing to say about my committee,” said Mr. James, who added that if it was desired to use the basement it could be done. If there was any committee to blame for not providing refuge for the girls, it was not the Museum Committee.
CELLARS NOT FIT
Mr Lewis Jones, chairman of the Higher Education Committee, told the Corporation that Mr W. T. Owen, M.A. (director of education), Mr A. J. Marshall (borough engineer) and he had visited the Museum that day, and after giving the matter due consideration he did not think that the cellars were fit to put the children in. If they put 200 children there it would be a “Black Hole of Calcutta,” and he could not recommend taking the children there. He would much prefer to see the children go into the woods near by. There was also a corridor in the school which could be used, and would be much safer than the cellars.
Prominent local historian, Joe England, editor of the book ‘Cyfarthfa School: The First 100 Years’ has confirmed that the cellars of the school were never converted for use as air-raid shelters, and luckily, Merthyr never actually had any need for shelters.
Many thanks to Tracy Barnard for transcribing these articles.
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.
We must, however, return to the Canton Tea Shop opposite Castle Street, and keep up that side of the road. There were but few shops on that side, the majority being cottages. There was no opening through to the tram road, but courts of some kind existed. The large chapel (Pontmorlais Chapel) was building or about being finished, and next above was a coal yard of the Dowlais Company, chiefly for the supply of coal to their own workmen. Mr John Roberts had charge there, I should say, perhaps, that the coal was brought down by the old tramroad, and there was a short branch into the yard from it.
Some ten or a dozen cottages intervened between the cottage of the coal yard and the one that projected towards the road. This had a few poplar trees around it, and was years after, I cannot say how long previously, occupied by Mr Morgan, a stone and monumental mason, now in business on Brecon Road.
On the upper side of this was an opening to the tramroad, which was not above 80 or 100 feet from the High Street, and then a painter and glazier’s shop kept by Mr Lewis, who afterwards removed a short distance into the Brecon Road, and the shop became that of a saddler (Powell by name). Adjoining this was the Morlais Castle Inn, of which Mr & Mrs Gay were the host and hostess. Mr E. R. Gay, the dentist, of High Street, is the youngest, and it is thought, the only survivor of the family, which consisted of three boys and two girls.
A narrow shop intervened and the turnpike gate was reached. Only a few yards beyond a cast iron bridge spanned the Morlais Brook. On the left a person named Miles lived. His son, Dr Miles, increased its size and subsequently practised there.
One road now leads off to Dowlais, and the other towards Brecon Road, or as it was generally called, the Grawen, but immediately in front is a wall 10 or 12 feet high there, but as the road on either side ascends is tapered down on both sides. The old Tramroad from the Dowlais and Penydarren Works to their wharves on the Canal side near Pontstorehouse ran over this embankment, and a cottage nestling in the trees there was occupied by Mr Rees Jones. No other residence of this kind existed on the Penydarren Park except the house itself and its three lodges. At one time there were some steps leading up to the Park near the turning and junction of roads, one going to the Grawen and the other going to Pontstorehouse, but that gap was built up, and the only public entrance then became that close to the Lodge in Brecon Road by the pond.
To be continued at a later date……
Sunday School Demonstration
From the Merthyr Express 110 years ago today…
Merthyr’s Bridges: The Brandy Bridge – part 2
Within a matter of years of opening, people started remarking on the instability of the new ‘Brandy Bridge’. It was not uncommon for the bridge to ‘bounce’ if a horse and cart drove over it. In 1925 the driver of a road-roller reported serious movement in the bridge as he passed over it. When tested, it was noticed that each cross-girder twisted seriously as the roller drove across the bridge over a certain speed, but would then correct themselves after the roller had passed. After structural tests were performed, it was concluded that the cross-girders were too lightly constructed for the traffic using the bridge, and a two-ton maximum weight limit was imposed.
The Borough Council became increasingly worried about the situation. Of major concern was the fact that if a serious fire broke out in Abercanaid, the fire brigade would be unable to attend as the fire-engine weighed well in excess of two tons. The Borough Engineer examined the possibility of using one of the other bridges nearby – the ‘First Brandy Bridge’ or the old Llwyn-yr-Eos Bridge further down the river. Neither of these proved a viable solution due the cost and length of time it would take to make either bridge structurally sound enough to carry road traffic.
Again, bureaucracy between several parties intervened, and it wasn’t until 26 July 1929 that a start was finally made on a solution – constructing a ferro-concrete arch over the Taff, using the existing abutments, with reinforced concrete girders spanning the Great Western (formerly Taff Valley) Railway line, and the Plymouth Railway line being lowered to permit the line of the roadway to be maintained. The contract for the work was given to Lewis Harpur, grandson of Samuel Harpur who oversaw the construction of the original bridge. The repairs cost £4,430 and the bridge re-opened to traffic on 28 February 1934.
In December 1965, after exceptionally heavy rainfall, the River Taff turned into a torrent. The Plymouth Weir roughly 450 yards downstream, which had been disintegrating for some time, finally collapsed, releasing all the debris and silt which had been accumulating behind it. With the removal of this ‘barrier’ the flow of the river increased rapidly, undermining the foundations of the abutment on the west side of the bridge. The bottom of the abutment was ripped from its base, taking with it the bottom end of the arch, and consequently twisting the whole arch structure and breaking the roadway from the abutment. Below are some photos showing the damage.
The bridge was rendered unusable. Within five days a temporary Bailey Bridge was installed by the army, which remained in operation until a new bridge was built.
The new bridge, the ‘Third Brandy Bridge’ was built down river from the old bridge. A reinforced concrete structure, it opened in December 1967, and is still in used today carrying traffic over the river and railway into Abercanaid.
Of the two previous bridges there is no trace. The first bridge was dismantled during the 1960’s, and the second shortly after the new bridge opened.
That is the story of the ‘Brandy Bridge’…but not quite. One question remains – why is it called the ‘Brandy Bridge’?
The original bridge was informally called the cinder bridge, built to carry waste from Anthony Hill’s works to Abercanaid,and the story goes that the trams that were used to transport the waste over the bridge were horse-drawn. Apparently the horse in question was called ‘Brandy’, and it is said that the bridge was renamed in his honour. How true this story is remains unclear, but it would be nice to think that there was some truth in it, and that a simple, hard-working horse was remembered in this way.
Merthyr’s Bridges: The Brandy Bridge – part 1
The ‘Brandy Bridge’ as it is commonly known, is actually, historically three separate bridges.
The ‘First Brandy Bridge’, commissioned by Anthony Hill, was built immediately below Brandy Bridge Junction in 1861, to carry the Plymouth Ironworks Tramway over the River Taff, Taff Vale Railway and Plymouth Railway. It was a square span in three sections; the main section was over the river and was about 80ft long, made up of two wrought iron plate-girders mounted on a masonry pier on the east side and a masonry abutment on the west.
After the closure of the Plymouth Ironworks in 1880, the bridge began to fall into disrepair, but was still used by pedestrians going to and from Abercanaid whilst a new bridge was being built 100 yards upstream.
Plans for the ‘Second Brandy Bridge’ had been discussed as early as 1857. In August of that year, a committee, consisting of among others Robert Thompson Crawshay, Anthony Hill & G T Clark was set up by the Local Board of Health to consider building a bridge across the Taff to Abercanaid, as up until then, the only pedestrian access to the village was via a ford called the Plymouth Crossing.
By 1870 however, a bridge still hadn’t been built, much to the understandable exasperation of the population of Abercanaid. On 22 January 1870, the villagers held a public meeting where a proposition was made that “the first and surest way to obtain a bridge and a road to Abercanaid is by memorialising the Local Board of Health, and that this meeting has great confidence in the present Board that they will take prompt and active measures to obtain for us – a bridge”.
By 6 August the committee had investigated several sites but were all vetoed due to expense, until a site, at the old Plymouth Crossing was agreed upon. The total price for the new bridge was estimated to be between £400 and £500, and the committee approached the Taff Valley Railway Company for a contribution. The committee had not, however, prepared for the ensuing pettiness and inflexibility of the various landowners affected by the building of a new bridge and road.
It would be 10 years before the petty wrangling had been ironed out, and on 7 August 1880, the Local Board of Health, following an interview with the Taff Vale Railway Company, who were planning to expand their network, estimated that a new bridge would cost £1,600, with the railway company offering £600 towards the project. Further disagreements followed with the committee for the building of the bridge insisting that the Taff Valley Railway Company should pay a higher percentage of the cost.
The negotiations continued for two years until an agreement was finally reached, and it wasn’t until 1883 that work finally began on the bridge.
Samuel Harpur, Engineer and Surveyor of the Local Board of Health, was put in charge of the construction of the new bridge, and a contract was given to J Jones to deal with the excavation and stonework. The construction of the bridge itself was entrusted to The Cleveland Bridge and Engineering Company of Darlington who designed, built and erected the bridge which was 12 foot wide and made of steel lattice-work girders and steel cross-members. The bridge was opened late in 1883.
To be continued…..
Destructive Fire at Merthyr – a sequal
Following on from the recent post on 4 May, the article below appeared in The Monmouthshire Merlin 150 years ago today….
In addition, the following notices appeared in later editions of the Merthyr Telegraph….
