Morlais Castle Inn – The Melting Pot

Memories of Old Merthyr Tydfil

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.

Bidding goodbye to Plymouth, let us walk up to Penydarren, but to fall into line with what has been previously stated, now imagine ourselves at the old turnpike gate close to the Morlais Castle Inn. The road inclining to the right must now be followed.

After a short time the tramroad from the basin would be crossed, and only a few yards previously, the branch into the works would be seen. The gates, or rather the lower gates of the works are here, and passing through, the works would be virtually surrounding you, at least the rail shed, the brickyard, an the new mill, but persons other than hauliers with their horses etc. were not allowed in that way, so we must keep to the turnpike road for a short distance, having the tramway on the left, when another gate would be come to opposite the entrance to Penydarren Park.

A composite of parts of the 1851 Ordnance Survey Map showing Penydarren House and Gardens (left) and the Penydarren Ironworks (right)

Only a few yards further on the tramway again crosses the road, and over this very crossing the turnpike gate (the Penydarren gate) was hung. The gate house on the left was only recently removed by the District Council.

The clump of buildings on the right from the entrance gate to the works was agents or other employees residences, with the offices of the works in front of them. The tramroad kept to the right, and did not rise as fast as the turnpike road. There were no houses on the right-hand side of the road until the tramroad from the Morlais Limestone Quarries had been crossed.

The first come to was occupied by Mr Morgan, the blast furnace manager, but there were some cottages on the left before coming to the tramroad. There was a brick cistern near the crossing that was made for the use of the locomotives at work on the lower, or basin road, and upon one occasion, while being filled, the boiler exploded.

Before proceeding further, let us glance at the prospect on the right. Immediately in front were the blast furnaces, five in a row and one detached, a little to the right; but before reaching them the Morlais Brook, or dingle in which it ran, would be seen, then a long incline leading up on the left. This was used for the removal of cinders or other refuse, no doubt, after the tip on the riverside had become as large as could well be. On the other side of the incline were the blast furnaces, with a large spherical wrought-iron regulator for the blast between the engine houses.

To the left of the furnace yard are, or were, the hitting shops; to the right, after the blast furnaces, was the refinery, the the smiths shop, a self-acting incline to lower coal forge and mill use; then the rod lathe, the forge (or puddling forge) followed these mills where bars, sheets and slit rods were made. The rail mill was the lowest, and the sheds extended to the gates at the bottom of the works.

To be continued at a later date……

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……

Merthyr Chapels: Pontmorlais Chapel

The next chapel we are going to look at was one of Merthyr’s oldest, largest and most important chapels – Pontmorlais Calvinistic Methodist Chapel.

Pontmorlais in the early 190’s. Pontmorlais Chapel can be seen behind the shops in the centre of the photo.

In the late 18^th Century a group of men began holding prayer meetings in the house of Mr John Davies just above the site of the chapel. As the group grew they moved to a house on the site of the Morlais Castle public house in Pontmorlais. The number of worshippers increased and in 1793 the congregation were in a position to build a small chapel which was called Pennsylvania.

In 1803 the first Methodist Revival took place and subsequently the congregation grew rapidly, and by 1805 a new chapel was built. Between 1805 and 1810 the chapel was also used as a school during the week. During this period, the chapel was considered to be one of the most important Calvinistic Methodist chapels in Wales, and attracted some of the most important preachers of the era.

The chapel was again extended in 1821 and following another revival in 1829 a very large new chapel was built behind the High Street, with access via a small courtyard between the houses built onto the chapel. The architect of the new chapel was the minister at the time, Rev Evan Harris (right).

The programme for the 1911 Cymanfa Ganu at Pontmorlais Chapel

In 1840 the chapel was renamed Pontmorlais Chapel. All the way through to the mid 20th Century, Pontmorlais remained one of the most important chapels in the town. Holding up to 1,500 people it was also used for many concerts, and the Calvinistic Methodist Cymanfa Ganu was held at the chapel on the first Monday in May from 1874 – the first Cymanfa Ganu to be held in Merthyr was at Pontmorlais Chapel.

By the early 1950’s the congregation had dwindled considerably and in 1954, the chapel closed.

After its closure, the building was taken over by the Blind Institute as a workshop until it was destroyed by fire in 1981. The site is now occupied by Voluntary Action Merthyr Tydfil.

The entrance to Pontmorlais Chapel. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm.

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.

Morgan’s Stonemason’s in Pontmorlais. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

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.

The old steps leading to Penydarren Park (now the site of the Y.M.C.A. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

To be continued at a later date……