Thomas Dafydd Llewellyn in 'Gardd Aberdar', an historical essay on Aberdare
and district written in 1853, stated that prior to 1799 there were no workers
houses in Aberdare. This situation altered suddenly with the founding of the
Abernant Ironworks in 1801. Among the first houses to be built circa 1800 were
those at Little Row and Moss Place. The names of several streets reveal the
industrial heritage of the area, e.g. Engineer's Row, Foreman's Row and Collier's
Row. These streets were part of a later period of house building during the
second half of the Nineteenth Century, possibly stimulated by the growth of
the coal sale trade and the construction of the Vale of Neath branch line to
Merthyr Tydfil. Abernant Railway Station opened in 1854.
During the early Nineteenth Century the area at the lower end of Abernant became
known as the 'Trap'. The origin of the name is unclear; a common explanation
for the name is that it referred to the public houses in the area where working
men would get trapped on their way home. Although a more probable explanation
is that the Trap was a step where the Aberdare Iron Company Tramroad crossed
the Parish Road to Abernant. The Marquis of Bute maintained a small cottage
hospital in the area from 1875 until the First World War, which was later used
as the Trap Surgery until it was demolished in 1980.
A number of Collieries operated in Abernant, many
of which were opened originally by the Aberdare Iron
Company. The collieries were: Werfa No.1 (1846 -
1910); Werfa No. 2 (1879 - 1910); Mountain Pit (1866
- 1927); Blaennant Colliery (circa 1840 - 1927);
Forge Pit (1851 - 1910) and River Level Colliery
(circa 1840 - 1939). In 1896 there was a disaster
at River Level Colliery when a flood killed six colliers.
See below for a description of the events surrounding
the disaster.
Abernant House
The original house at Abernant was
built by James Birch, cofounder with Jeremiah Homfray
of Abernant Ironworks. After the ironworks were sold
in 1819 the house passed to Rowland Fothergill and
later his nephew Richard Fothergill. Richard Fothergill
was responsible for an ambitious scheme of work at
the house, which included the construction of extensions
to the main building and extensive landscaping of
the grounds.
Left: Abernant House
In 1892 St Michael's Theological College was founded
at Abernant House by Emma Talbot of Margam. The college
opened on St David's Day 1892, with three students
in the first term which rose to twelve students in
the second term. The first warden was canon H R Johnson.
In 1907 the college moved to Llandaff due to an insecurity
of tenure at Abernant. Since 1917 Abernant House
has been used as the site of Aberdare General Hospital.
Right: This photograph of the Chapel
at St Michael's College, illustrates the fine architectural
details of the interior of Abernant House, that were
destroyed in the fire of 1929.
The movement for a hospital began in 1907 and the initial site chosen was at
Godreaman, but following delays an offer from the Marquis of Bute to lease Abernant
House was taken up. Public donations raised £14,428 towards the cost of
the hospital and the local coalowners contributed £10,000 The work of
converting Abernant House was carried out by Horace J Davies of Bargoed at a
cost of £10,300. On July 17th 1917 Aberdare General Hospital was opened.
The hospital gradually expanded after its opening. Three acres on the south side
of the hospital were presented by the Powell Duffryn Co. In 1920 an increase
in the contributions made by the workmen of the district from 1d to 3d per week
allowed an extension of the Ophthalmic and Orthopedic Wards. A new Convalescent
Ward was opened in 1923 and Charles Kenshole purchased and presented to the hospital
the whole of Abernant Park to the South. By 1927 the hospital owned all of the
grounds which surrounded it, and a farm was established to supply fresh milk
for the patients.
On
September 27th 1929 a disastrous fire destroyed
the main building, the former Abernant House .
The fire gutted the interior of the building and
all of the interior grandeur of Abernant House
was destroyed. The hospital was reopened in April
1933 by HRH The Duchess of York (the later Queen
Mother). The hospital continued to expand under
patronage from local benefactors, in 1939 W M Llewellyn
funded the construction of a new maternity ward.
Left: This photograph shows the severe damage to
Aberdare General Hospital caused by the fire of September
27th 1929
Gwaith Haearn
Abernant
Abernant ironworks was founded in 1801 when Jeremiah Homfray and James Birch
leased land and mineral rights at Abernant y Wenallt. In 1804 Homfray and Birch
were joined in the venture by James and Francis Tappenden of Kent. In 1807,
by which time three furnaces had been constructed on the site, a disagreement
arose amongst the partners over the tramroad the Tappendens had built to the
Neath Canal. Homfray and Birch retired from the company over this disagreement
leaving the Tappendens in sole control. However, it appears that the Tappendens
had overstretched themselves and in 1814 were forced to sue for bankruptcy after
losing a legal battle with the Neath Canal. In 1819 the Abernant ironworks were
bought by the Aberdare Iron Company, who already owned the Aberdare Ironworks
at Llwydcoed.
Above: Richard Fothergill
In 1823 three furnaces
were operating at Abernant, but the ironworks had
no facilities to refine their iron, which was sent
to Merthyr Tydfil to be made into wrought iron bars.
However, after Rowland Fothergill and his nephew
Richard Fothergill took over the management of the
works in 1846 they embarked on a period of modernisation.
Abernant was chosen as the site for a forge and mills
where the pig iron produced at Abernant and Llwydcoed
could be refined.
Left: Pencil drawing of Abernant dated September
1827
The Mills and Forges covered a large area and were constructed with an iron
roof supported on iron columns. In 1869 the forge contained 78 puddling furnaces
and 27 balling furnaces. The mills included 2 large rail mills, a shears for
cutting cold bars and numerous saws and presses. The Aberdare Iron Company was
among the world's foremost producers of wrought iron rails during this period.
However, following a slump in the wrought iron rail trade and a miner's strike,
the Aberdare Iron Company and all its associated works closed in 1875 amidst
rumours of financial mismanagement by Richard Fothergill.
River Level Colliery Disaster 1896
On the 9th December 1896 the workings at the River Level Colliery, Abernant,
were inundated by water from old workings at Ysguborwen Colliery. The water
had broken through because shortly before the Ysguborwen Colliery was abandoned
in December 1895, colliers at the mine had worked a 'skip' that encroached on
old workings at the River Level Colliery. Therefore, without the knowledge of
the colliers and managers of River Level Colliery, the barrier that had been
left between No. 2 Heading of River Level and the Ysguborwen workings had been
fatally weakened. When the drain level at Ysguborwen, a notoriously 'wet' colliery,
became blocked by a fall, the water burst through to the River Level Colliery
workings.
It became apparent at the later inquest that colliers at Ysguborwen had actually
broken through to the River Level Colliery, but no action was taken to warn
the management of that colliery of the possible danger. A report by the barrister
Robert Woodfall found the blame to lie with the managers at Ysguborwen Colliery
and exonerated all those at River Level Colliery of any wrongdoing. He felt,
however, that it would be difficult to secure a conviction "because the recklessness
shown is so common in mining."
Six men of the 120 working at River Level Colliery lost their lives. They were
Thomas Jones (29); John Phillips (39); father and son John Jenkins (52) and Thomas
Jenkins (18); and the two boys George Evans (14) and John Williams (13). Their
bodies were not recovered until 23rd December after the workings had been pumped
clear of water and gas. The funeral was held on Christmas Day. A large procession
formed at Abernant to escort the coffins of the victims to Aberdare Cemetery.
A reporter on the South Wales Daily News estimated that when the procession reached
Aberdare Town it already numbered between 2,000 - 3,000 people and was over a
mile long. This number increased as more joined the procession as it moved through
Trecynon to
the Cemetery. In addition, spectators, who were nine to twelve deep in places,
lined the route of the procession.
