Troedyrhiw Local History Presentation by Clive Thomas

[00:00:10] Introduction. Talks about use of pictures. Introduces his talk on the subject of how the village grew.

 

[00:03:15] Talks about his background growing up in the village. [photo of hillside] Describes the row of houses he grew up in by the mountainside.

 

[00:03:46] [Photos of “the valley of rocks”] Playing up on the hill among the rocks, seeing the graffiti carved into the rocks.

 

[00:04:54] [photos of graffiti showing names, initials, dates] Dated to 1929, noted as a difficult time in the area.

 

[00:04:59] [photo looking to the valley to Aberfan] Talks about landscape; shape of the valleys, the flat river and floodplain. Points out where Merthyr colliery was sunk and the state of the ground before that.

 

[00:06:38] [photo looking directly across the valley] Indicates some houses that have since been demolished, (now taken by the A470), rugby fields, and play area. Then he follows a stream to a bridge at Cwmdu. Talks about how Merthyr Tydfil developed but Troedyrhiw stayed the same until more infrastructure was in place. Follows the ridge of a mountain indicating the Brecon Beacons and distinctive red sandstone.

 

[00:09:15] [photo of farms across the valley] Topics include: Farming until mid-18th century, derelict farms, Eagle’s Rock, rock formations, Merthyr Church Fault.

 

[00:12:55] [map from 1729] Survey by Emanuel Bowen, inaccuracies noted. Follows the River Taff.

 

[00:15:50] [map from mid-1700s] Map from Glamorgan Archives, points out Troedyrhiw Farm, Pontyrhun. Map commissioned by the landowner Mr Morgan. Noted where coal seams were found.

 

[00:17:10] [other side of valley] CT points out Beech Grove, the mountainside, the church.

 

[00:17:40] [photo of Troedyrhiw Farm] Talks about how it closed at the time of the construction of Afon Taf High School. CT mentions starting at Quaker’s Yard Grammar School in 1958, also being the last year hay was cut at the farm. Talks about spending time by the railway, Howard Winston at the Empire Games.

 

[00:19:23] [photo of Mr Jones, the last farmer there, from the Merthyr Express] Remembers Mr Jones, and the farm becoming derelict shortly after 1958.

 

[00:19:58] [photo of Troedyrhiw Farm] Indicates the cows grazing and tree growth, the trackway.

 

[00:20:30] [map from 1766] Map of the area for landowner the Earl of Plymouth, talks about what areas he owned across the valleys. Included is Merthyr Church, the Taff, the old mill, the tannery, the Nant, the Glantaff Inn. Photocopy of map taken from Folio, special permission needed to see original. Map shows acreage and crops grown.

 

[00:23:20] [map showing other side of the river] CT talks about how this was still Mr Morgan’s land, Troedyrhiw Mill.

 

[00:24:00] [photo of field above Beech Grove] Owned by Jack in Kings House in 1958 producing hay. Follows the trackway up. Points out Pen-Y-Fan and Cribyn in the background.

 

[00:25:51] [map] Following trackway still, pointing out blacksmith shop, the chapel marked on Emanuel Bowen’s map (now in ruins).

 

[00:27:55] [maps dated mid-18th century] Topics include Wilkinson [couldn’t make out first name], Anthony Bacon, John Guest [some discrepancy in dates here] approaching Earl of Plymouth to develop the area.

 

[00:28:36] [painting] Painting showing countryside, three children on a pony on main road into Merthyr. Describes early building of ironworks. Hill family from Cumberland inherited the area, bringing in people who understood ironworks.

 

[00:30:57] [map] Shows the Taff and track into Merthyr Tydfil. Talks about Richard Hill taking over ironworks.

 

[00:33:44] [photo of weir on the Taff] Topics include water for the ironworks, construction of Glamorganshire canal.

 

[00:35:09] [earliest picture of Troedyrhiw] Sketch done for book “Rivers of Wales”, but not used. Shows Taff, steam engine pump to transfer water to canal.

 

[00:37:27] [census 1841] Talks about families working at Troedyrhiw Mill and skills they brought with them. Early railway.

 

[00:38:19] [census 1841 continued] Talks about the farming and collier families.

 

[00:39:43] [census 1861] Shows Hill family and property. Talks about Anthony Hill specifically and his funeral. Development of iron and emergence of steel trade.

 

[00:41:19] [site of Dyffryn colliery] Topics include closure of small ironworks, coal mining boom beginning 1880s.

 

[00:44:12] [Troedyrhiw 1870s] Topics include the canal, steam pump, railway, development of the village.

 

[00:46:00] [photos of local families from 1870s] Family caring for the steam engine. Pontyrhun Villa. Colliery visible.

 

[00:47:19] [local families continued] Troedyrhiw House, the people who lived and worked there. Photos of the house itself.

 

[00:48:06] [Colliery Plan] Plan used by Joseph Bailey, from Glamorgan Archives. Dyffryn Ironworks, South Dyffryn Colliery.

 

[00:49:02] [Photo of colliery headgear] Information about the physical photo and what was written on the back by eventual Lord Merthyr, Sir William Thomas-Lewis. Talks how he developed the mining industry down to the Rhondda.

 

[00:50:21] [1950s Cottages] Talks about inhabitants, increasing population and the age range, where they came from and their specific occupations.

 

[00:52:24] [Troedyrhiw 1960] Points out colliery, farms, tip, and other landmarks. Last attempts to extract coal.

 

[00:54:26] [Railway and footbridge] Talks about Crawshay family’s involvement in the area. Move from coal to oil after WWI.

 

[00:55:33] [Return to colliery 1968/9] Described the buildings and tip. Follows the road around to Castle Pit and the engine house.

 

[00:56:28] Talks about decline of the coal industry, referring to Aberfan.

 

[00:57:00] [A470 road from Merthyr to Troedyrhiw] Follows the road again pointing out where the pits were and the farms.

 

[00:59:12] [Slides showing the village] Indicates various old landmarks now closed, how Troedyrhiw has changed in recent years.

 

[00:59:58] [Photos from the Rhondda] Takes time to show the Rhondda community.

 

[01:00:20] [Heavily forested mountainside] CT mentions the deforestation of the area and how bare the mountains are now.

 

[01:00:48] [Troedyrhiw Lido] Talks about the history of the lido.

 

[01:01:50] [Photo looking down at the village school] Talks again about his childhood and local characters.

 

[01:03:00] [View from Eagle’s Rock] Recent photo, talks about the school today and what is in the village now. Conclusion