This photograph of Canon Street clearly shows Trinity Chapel
and the New Theatre. The New Theatre was originally the Temperance
Hall, an important public building in Nineteenth Century
Aberdare that was constructed in 1858 at a cost of £3,000,
provided by the Total Abstinence Society. The Hall consisted
of an auditorium, which could seat 1,500 people, a temperance
hotel with 11 rooms, committee, rooms, a library and temperance
coffee house. At the time of its construction the Hall was
the largest space available in Aberdare to hold public gatherings
and was used extensively for public meetings, lectures and
entertainment.
The Hall was converted into the New Theatre and Hippodrome in 1895 when alterations
were made to the interior and façade and a portico was added (as illustrated
in this photograph). In 1918 it was renamed the Palladium and began showing films.
From the 1920's onwards it was primarily used as a cinema until being converted
into its present form as the Palladium Bingo Hall.
Like all similar towns in the South Wales Coalfield there
was a large number of public houses in the Aberdare area.
In 1793 there were just five public houses in the parish
of Aberdare but by 1872 it has been estimated that at least
273 public houses existed or had existed in the area from
Hirwaun to Abercwmboi. The dramatic rise in the population
at this time and the culture of drinking associated with
the heavy industries that were opening at this time are the
primary reasons for this dramatic growth.
The public houses of the region served an important role in public life in the
first half of the Nineteenth Century. The early eisteddfodau were all held in
public houses, most notably that of Carw
Coch held at the Stag Inn, Trecynon in
1853. Many early chapels were based in public houses before their congregations
could build their own place of worship. For example, in 1836 before the construction
of Salem Chapel, Robertstown the Minister Joseph Harrison established a conventicle
in the Long Room of the White Lion, Gadlys. However, in the latter half of the
Nineteenth Century the public houses faced increased pressure from the temperance
movement and the demarcation between drink and religion became much more marked.
At this time the eisteddfodau moved from the public houses to the chapels.
Above: The
Carpenters Arms
Above: Canon Street decorated for
the Royal visit
rom June 25th to June 27th 1912 King George V and Queen
Mary visited Cardiff and the South Wales Valleys. On the
27th their itinerary included a visit to Pontypridd and Porth
on the Royal Train, followed by a trip in a motor car through
the Rhondda Fawr and on to Merthyr Tydfil. In the afternoon
they traveled by motor car from Merthyr to Aberdare.
In Aberdare Lord Merthyr presented them with an address from the people of Aberdare
in a ceremony at Aberdare
Park. Over 8,000 children were in attendance at the Park in order to greet
the Royal couple. The most famous element of the visit to Aberdare was their
excursion to see a miner's cottage. The cottage chosen was at 71 Bute Street,
Aberdare and this property is still known as Queen Mary's Cottage. Following
the Royal visit the residents of the house, Mr and Mrs Jones, were visited by
hundreds of people from across South Wales who were anxious to see the cup from
which Queen Mary had drunk. The Aberdare Leader of 6th July 1912 reported that
grateful visitors had filled the cup that the King had drunk from with coppers
for the Jones' baby.
