When Ty Mawr was demolished in the early 1970's, to
clear the site for the Aberdare Health Centre, a link to
the history of Aberdare stretching back 200 years was severed.
Ty Mawr was constructed in the last quarter of the Eighteenth
Century and would have been the largest residence in the
town at the time. Originally the home of the Richards family,
by the 1820's the house had become a shop ran by Evan Griffiths.
In the Twentieth Century the house was best known as being
the residence of a number of well respected local doctors,
including Dr Evan Jones and Dr Harry Banks.
Left: Doctor Bank's House - Ty Mawr during
the Civic Sunday March circa 1930
A Rock Brewery dray stands in the middle foreground
of this photograph of the Southeastern end of High Street,
taken in the late Nineteenth Century.
Right: Rock Brewery Dray in High Street
Alongside the main coal and iron industries a plethora
of smaller industries emerged throughout the Aberdare area,
to supply the needs of the expanding population. One such
industry was Halewood's Boot Factory at the rear of Canon
Street and High Street. The building was originally the
Glandare Woolen Mill, but in 1862 the Boot Factory was
opened. The factory supplied a chain of shops in Aberdare
and throughout South Wales until its closure some time
after the First World War.
Left: Halewood's Boot Factory - High
Street
When the Rex Cinema opened in April 1939 the resident
organist was Walford James. Three organ recitals were given
daily, the Compton Organ would rise from beneath the floor
of the stage and the glass surround contained strip lights
that would change colour automatically. Find
out what happened to the Rex organ. The Rex was amongst the
most luxurious of the many cinemas of the South Wales Valleys,
with seating for 1700 and decorated throughout in an art
deco style. The last public performance at the cinema was
held in 1981, although it had been in decline for several
years before that. The building was demolished in August
1990 to make way for a new car park.
Right: Tom Joseph pictured at the Comptom
organ at the Rex Cinema
