Ynysfach – The Melting Pot – Merthyr Tydfil's History and Culture

My Street – part 4

by Barrie Jones

Chapter Three

British Iron and Steel Federation (B. I. S. F) Steel Framed Houses

In the aftermath of the Second World War, Britain’s extensive post-war reconstruction programme faced a shortage of materials and skilled tradesmen, particularly carpenters and bricklayers. To overcome this, use was made of prefabricated materials, utilising factory production methods previously geared for the war effort. Construction techniques, in part, could be undertaken by an un-skilled workforce, and at its height the estate engaged over two-hundred and eighty workmen, mostly un-skilled, on the site’s construction.

The housing estate’s prefabricated houses, known by the locals as the `pre-fabs’ were mistakenly thought by many people to be for temporary use only. In addition to Ysgubornewydd, the Council embarked on a programme of construction of prefabricated properties on a large scale at Galon Uchaf (150 houses). Other smaller groups were constructed on such sites as; Canonbie (24), Brickfield Crescent (16), Cae Mari Dwn (26), Jones Terrace (16), Taff Glen View (22) and Queens Road (4). Prior to the construction of B.I.S.F. units the Council had constructed numerous Arcon prefabricated bungalows at Ynysfach, Rhydfach and Merthyr Vale.

In 1944 various non-traditional house construction systems were assessed by the Interdepartmental Committee on Housing (Burt Committee) to identify the most promising for immediate development. The B.I.S.F. steel framed house was one of those selected and two prototype houses ‘A’ and ‘B’ were erected at Northolt, Middlesex. Only type ‘A’ appears to have gone into production and a programme was planned for the construction of over 30,000 three-bedroom semi-detached houses in England and Wales, while over 4,000 were planned for Scotland. The programme was later extended to include 1,048 terraced properties, these merely being extensions of a pair of dwellings.

The type ‘A’ frame was fabricated from rolled steel sections with roof trusses of rolled steel or tubular sections. Of the claddings available, render on mesh for the ground floor and profiled steel sheet on the upper storey appears to have been adopted almost universally. The vertical ribs of the original cladding to the upper storey are a prominent feature that identifies B.I.S.F. houses. The roof was clad with profiled asbestos cement sheeting.

B.I.S.F. dwellings were usually built as two-storey semi-detached houses and the internal lining is of 3/8-inch plasterboard fixed to 2 x 1 inch timber framing secured to the steel framework. A glass fibre quilt 1 inch thick is sandwiched between the steel framework and timber framing.

A typical ‘prefab’; number thirty-seven, Wheatley Place, had the following layout and facilities:

Front door leading into the hallway with doors leading to the front room and kitchen, under the stairs near to the kitchen door was a wide cupboard housing the gas and electricity meters. Under the stairs there was space large enough for my mother to keep her Singer sewing machine with its metal treadle.

The kitchen was supplied with a gas cooker and fitted units; alongside the wall separated by the hall door were two pairs of full-length metal storage cupboards. Between the cooker space in the corner of the kitchen and the washbasin was a narrow cupboard in front of the boxed in soil pipe from the upstairs bathroom. This cupboard was used by my mother to store dusters, shoe polishes etc. Above the washbasin was the kitchen window that looked out onto the back garden. Under the washbasin was a gas tap that could be connected to a gas heated water boiler; the boiler was a galvanised cylindrical tub that was wheeled out on washdays from its place under the kitchen washbasin.

Leading from the kitchen was the dining room with a large window looking out onto the rear garden. From the dining room double doors lead into the front room that was dominated by a large almost full-length window looking out onto the front garden, all the windows in the house were metal framed with metal fittings. The front room was heated by a coal fire that backed on to the wall separating the dining room from the front room. The fireplace was dominated by a large mantelpiece that extended around the chimney flue and was made of pre-cast concrete. The fire could be lit with a gas jet fitted into the front grate instead of the traditional gas poker. This assisted the work of lighting the fire but to save gas, most people still relied on wood and paper and the trusty blower. Lighting the fire had its dangers, on one occasion when lighting the gas, blowback left me minus eyebrows and eyelashes. The fire served as the only direct room heating but with the aid of a small back boiler it heated the household hot water tank and three small radiators. These were narrow versions of the traditional heavy cast-iron radiators, one in the dining room and one each in the two larger bedrooms.

Upstairs on the landing was a window on the side of the house looking over the single storey side extension. Leading from the landing were three bedrooms and a bathroom. The bathroom situated at the rear and over the kitchen had a W.C., washbasin, and traditional white cast-iron bath. The large front bedroom housed the airing cupboard with hot water tank, situated alongside the chimney flue. It would not take much hot water use before this went cold and re-heating the water would take ages, most people eventually had electric immersion heaters fitted to boost the hot water. The front and back bedrooms were separated from each other by fitted wardrobes, a double in the front and a single in the back. These filled the space between the airing cupboard and the party wall. The smallest bedroom, the box room, was in the front over the hallway, to maximise space a fitted dressing table with two small drawers was built over the slope created by the rise of the stairs.

The side entrance into the house, known as the “back door”, leads into the kitchen through a porch. The porch was formed by the space made in a single-story side extension of the house between an external WC. and the storage shed. Part of this shed was a sectioned-off coalbunker; coal could be gathered from the porch by means of a small hatch at floor level. Unless the bunker was full, which would be very rare, collecting coal from the hatch was difficult and this hatch was rarely used and therefore the coal bucket was filled by trips into the dark shed. Over the years this large bunker would fill up with small coal and hunting for suitable coal lumps could take some time.

B.I.S.F. houses were innovative also in the provision of electricity; the Housing Manager reported to the Housing Committee in January 1948 that new patent electric wall sockets were fitted to the houses. These required plugs that had an additional third leg, a safety device in the form of a fuse, which was screwed into the plug. New tenants were not prepared for this innovation and the Housing Manager obtained permission to purchase one gross of the fuses and 500 plugs for sale to incoming tenants.

By the mid-1960s the external cladding of the ‘prefabs’ were becoming shabby and showing signs of rust. To counter this the Council embarked on a programme of ‘pebble dashing’ the cladding. This involved applying an adhesive to the metal and throwing small grain multi-coloured ‘pebbles’ over the adhesive. Later in the 1980s a renovation programme was conducted, this included replacing the asbestos roofing and improving the houses energy efficiency through window replacement and central heating installation.

From the 1980s council tenants could purchase their house under the Right to Buy (RTB) legislation, a favourable option as they would receive a significant reduction on the property’s value based on the length of their council tenancies. It was wise to delay purchase until the property was renovated. Several council tenants accepted this offer, and tenants continue to do so over the following decades. In total eight properties in Wheatley Place have been purchased under RTB, the three concrete houses and five ‘prefabs.’ The downside to RTB is that BISF properties are classed as of non-traditional construction and consequently mortgages are more difficult to secure for their purchase. Which may explain why fourteen properties in the street remain social housing after seventy-five years.

To be continued…..

Merthyr Memories: The Last Days of Georgetown School

I was one those people lucky enough to attend Cyfarthfa School on all three of its sites – Georgetown, Cyfarthfa Castle and Cae Mari Dwn. In fact, I was in the very last intake of pupils to go to Georgetown before it closed its doors forever.

Georgetown School was in fact a cluster of several buildings. The two main buildings – in my day ‘The Main Block’ and ‘The Art Block’, were the original school buildings – formerly Georgetown Girl’s School built in 1905 and Georgetown Boy’s School built in 1907. These subsequently became Georgetown Secondary Modern School, with the ‘Main Block’ being the the Boys and girls school, now joined by a corridor whilst the ‘Art Block’ was Georgetown Infants School.

An extract from a 1922 map of Merthyr showing the original layout of Georgetown Schools. From left to right – the Boys School, The Girls School and the Infants School.

There was also a wooden building, dating from the days when Georgetown was a Secondary Modern, known in my day as ‘The Annexe’, housing the metalwork workshop and the domestic science room on the ground floor, and the chemistry/biology lab and the physics lab on the first floor. There were also two ‘huts’ – one housing the language lab, and one the woodwork workshop.

Georgetown School. Left to right – the ‘Annexe’, the ‘Main Block, and the ‘Art Block’. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

With the coming of the comprehensive system, Georgetown merged with Cyfarthfa Castle Grammar School to become Cyfarthfa High School. Georgetown served as the lower school – housing forms 1 and 2.

It is fair to say that, by the time I went to Georgetown in 1980, the school had seen better days. One of my lasting memories is seeing various types of mushrooms growing out of the walls in several of the classrooms….a new experience for me!!!!! There were also one or two classrooms with broken windows (health and safety wasn’t such an issue in those days). Granted, the windows were quite high up…but there was no escaping the arctic blasts of wind that would regularly infiltrate the classrooms and reach the parts that other breezes could not reach!!! To be fair, the school was on the verge of closure, so I’m sure material repairs were low on the list of priorities.

Going to Georgetown was a major upheaval for all of us. Up until then, we had all had the same classmates for many years, in my case through infants and junior school in Twynyrodyn, but going to Georgetown we would be mixing with people from OTHER SCHOOLS – Caedraw, Cyfarthfa, Gellideg and Heolgerrig…what’s more, we’d all be mixed up in different classes. It was unbelievably traumatic to think that we would be wrenched from our friends and thrown in with strangers, and we just knew that we would NEVER mix with these others. Within a few weeks however, new friendships were forged.

The other big difference was that, in Twyn School, we had one classroom and one teacher (the incomparable Eddie Humphries in my case). In Georgetown we would have different teachers for different subjects, and we would move from one classroom to another. What’s more, we were doing subjects we’d never even dreamt of – French, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Metalwork & Woodwork. It was all a great adventure.

Georgetown School in 1982, shortly before being demolished, showing the ‘Main Block’ and the two ‘huts’ that housed the woodwork workshop and the language lab. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

For me though, the bane of my existence in Georgetown were the compulsory PE lessons, especially when we had to trudge up to the Wern Field in Ynysfach in all weathers. Even now, after all of these years, I come out in a cold sweat at the thought of it.

Wern Field in Ynysfach. Photo courtesy of http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/index.htm

Another, and indeed happier memory springs to mind – I remember the whole school assembling in the playground to watch, on a quite a small TV screen, the launch of the first ever Space Shuttle – the Columbia, on 12 April 1981. I remember that there was great excitement, but what we could actually see of the launch on such a small screen, and outdoors, I can’t remember, but the fact that I can remember the occasion must mean it had special significance.

At the end of my first year at Cyfarthfa High School, everything changed. The new Cyfarthfa School at Cae Mari Dwn was ready, and from the next school year, the lower school would be moving to Cyfarthfa Castle. For me, and I think for most people, this was really exciting…..going to school in the famous Cyfarthfa Castle – so we all blithely left Georgetown, not even giving it a second thought – far more exciting prospects lay ahead.

During that summer holiday, the wooden Annexe was destroyed by fire, and within a few years, the rest of the school was demolished. Nothing remains of Georgetown School – except the memories, and they are, on the whole very pleasant ones. I think I was lucky to go there – albeit briefly.

Georgetown School being demolished in 1982. Photo courtesy of the Alan George Archive

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.

An extract from the 1851 Public Health Map showing a more detailed view of the area covered in this article.

What may be called Ynysfach rows were close by, but we cross the bridge over the canal, and on the right was the coalyard of Waunwyllt. Just fancy! The coal was sold out in ‘drafts’ by one of Mrs Thomas’ sons. Coal or colliery proprietors would think it infra dig to let their sons do so now, and yet it was done, and done properly then with results that satisfied them.

The small cottage and workshop in the garden adjoining was the residence of the father of Penry Williams, one of, if not the greatest painters Wales has produced. John (*see below) Williams, whom I knew, was a clever artist, but was unfortunately deaf and dumb. The father and son carried on the glazing business here while Penry was in the zenith of his fame in Rome. There was also a sister, Miss Sophia Williams, who carried on a school for many years.

Penry Williams’ painting of his father’s cottage. Photo courtesy of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery

In the house just around the corner Mr Abraham Jones, the nailer, resided and a timber yard followed. Upon the other side, the corner house, opposite the coalyard, was a grocery establishment, opened by a Mr Rees. He was connected with the Waunwyllt family, and if I mistake not, an ancestor of the family of that name of Lletty Shenkin.

Several small cottages followed, and the last house bordering the river was the Heathcock Inn, at one time kept by Mrs Williams after her husband had, with John Frost and William Jones, been banished to Australia for their connection with the Chartist rising.

We re now at the Iron Bridge – I mean the old one, going straight across to Ynysgau-not the modern one erected by the old Local Board, and going to Victoria Street. I have crossed it on many occasions, have felt its vibrations when a heavy load passed over a rough place, and yet always thought it was a well-developed structure, reflecting credit on some whose names I have never learnt. Remembering the time and state of knowledge when it was put up, it was a wonderful example of daring skill.

Crossing this, the locality to the left was analagous to China. The road direct in front, leaving the chapel to the right, would bring us to an archway or a narrow opening over which the upstairs room of one of the houses extended, and to the end of Castle Street; but we turn at the foot of the bridge, and keeping the chapel on our left instead go down Bridge Street.

*Penry Williams’ father was named William – as can be seen from the portrait. The original writer either made an error with his name or he was actually known as John as well. We will probably never know!!!

Right – A portrait by Penry Williams of his father William. Photo courtesy of Cyfarthfa Castle Museum & Art Gallery

To be continued at a later date…….

**Many thanks to Dr John Taylor for the following….

Isn’t the “John”, referred to above, the deaf and dumb brother of Penry Williams? Accordingly, this would not conflict with the father’s name, William. The deaf and dumb brother is made reference to in the blog post for 17 July 2020 ‘Death of Penry Williams’.

I think that clears up a lot – the original author could easily have been mistaken.

Merthyr Memories: The Closure of Abermorlais School

Following on from the last post about the opening of Abermorlais School, Clive Thomas, former teacher at the school, has kindly shared his memories of the closure of the school.

The Closure of Abermorlais Junior School
by Clive Thomas

In September 1968 a new headteacher took charge of Abermorlais Junior School. Mr. O.P. Bevan (Ossie), recently a teaching head at Heolgerrig Primary came to a school with a century of history and a reputation for high standards. After all hadn’t it assisted in the education of three peers of the realm? As well as providing for the general education for many thousands of children, probably the most celebrated of the school’s pupils were the Berry boys, namely Henry Seymour Berry, Lord Buckland, William Ewert Berry, Viscount Camrose and Gomer Berry, Viscount Kemsley.

Funded by the British and Foreign Schools Society, Lady Charlotte Schreiber (previously Guest) had laid its foundation stone in 1867. It was built on what was later to be known as the British Tip, an accumulation of iron and coal waste from over a century of operations at the Penydarren Ironworks. In its elevated position, the school overlooked the town to the south, Ynysfach to the west and to the north Georgetown and the Brecon Road. It was from the streets, terraces and courtyards of these areas that children had come to Abermorlais for over a century, but with the redevelopment of many of these districts and family movement to the new Gurnos Estate, pupil numbers had declined massively and left a very large school building only twenty-five per cent occupied.

By the mid ‘Sixties’, the building had suffered from many years of neglect and the school was in almost terminal decline. Initially built to accommodate over six hundred pupils, by this time fewer than two hundred were taught in only six of the downstairs classrooms. Foot worn sandstone stairs with iron railings led to the upstairs classrooms, all of which had been vacated a number of years previously. Here were rooms where chairs, desks and other unwanted furniture and equipment were stored. A variety of old textbooks and teaching materials, some of great age had also been discarded here and in the imagination of many of the remaining pupils, these classrooms had to be haunted. Shelves and ledges were coated by inches of black dust from the open fires which heated the still occupied classrooms and hall.

This particular school year was a significant one in that it would be the last in which children from Abermorlais would sit the Eleven Plus Examination. Comprehensive education had already arrived in the lower part of the County Borough with the opening of Afon Taf High School the previous year. Mrs Wendy Williams was the teacher who shouldered the onerous responsibility of ensuring that every child in what was still called Standard Four gave of their best.

Mr. John Lloyd was the school musician. A talented pianist, he played for the Pendyrus Male Voice Choir, then under the baton of the famous Mr. Glyn Jones from Dowlais. Mrs. Eleanor Davies, wife of the former head was fulfilling her final year as deputy-headteacher, while Mrs. Morgan and Sylvia Lloyd assisted with the teaching of the younger juniors. Like Mr. Bevan, Clive Thomas was new to the school and in the first year of his teaching career.

The staff at Abermorlais School in the summer of 1969. Back row – Mrs M Williams, Mr Clive Thomas, Mr John Lloyd, Mrs Morgan. Front Row – Mrs Eleanor Davies, Mrs Annie-Mary Protheroe, Mr Ossie Bevan (headmaster), Mrs Sylvia Lloyd, Mrs Wendy Williams.

At Heolgerrig, Mr. Bevan had been involved with the Welsh School Council work on Environmental Studies. He was anxious to continue this approach and actively involve children in work which would help them gain a better understanding of how the school and town had evolved. To say that Abermorlais was poorly resourced to achieve these aims would be an understatement but his ingenuity, perseverance and jovial nature enabled significant progress to be made.

A new school had been planned to replace Abermorlais, but was to be built in a corner of Cyfarthfa Park and on the edge of what was the old school’s catchment area. This, it was rumoured was to be a semi-open plan school (whatever that meant) and represent the aspirations of a new age in education. Many of the staff, needless to say approached the move with a degree of trepidation.

Towards the end of the Autumn term in 1970 the staff were ready for the move and packed all that we wished to take with us. The Abermorlais foundation stone, which Ossie had planned to take to the new school proved to be something of a sham unfortunately. The inscription had not been cut skilfully by a late nineteenth century mason into solid stone but into a mortar coating. When the machine went to pick up the stone it fell into pieces and was lost in the rest of the debris. The historic building was left to the salvage and demolition crews.

Many thanks to Clive Thomas for this fascinating article, and for providing all of the photographs.