In common with many communities in the
South Wales Valleys, the village of Cwmaman developed to
house and provide services for workers in the local collieries.
Prior to the opening of the first collieries the Aman
Valley was a peaceful rural area that contained only eight
agricultural properties , all of which had existed
since the late medieval period. Even as late as 1841, when
new settlements had become well established around the
Ironworks to the North around Aberdare and Hirwaun, the
Aman Valley had a population of only 40 and still retained
its traditional character. However the opening of the collieries
in the mid Nineteenth Century led to a dramatic growth
in both the population and number of buildings within the
village. Many of the streets in Cwmaman such as Aman Street,
Aman Place, Railway Row, Fforchaman Road and Kingsbury
Place were all built between the years 1850 - 1860.
The rapid and intense growth in the population of the
village led to a growing need for public amenities. Public
houses were opened, the first being the Shepherd's Arms
which opened in 1850 and still serves the public today.
Other public houses within the district included the Cwmneol
Inn, the Globe Inn, the Ivy Bush Inn, the Mount Pleasant
Inn and the Railway Inn. Numerous shops opened, a fact
reflected by Kelly's Trade Directory for 1920, which contains
over forty listings for retail establishments in Cwmaman,
including greengrocer's, baker's, ironmongers, hairdressers
and drapers. In addition to this Cwmaman had its own post
office, established before 1875, and Public Hall and Institute,
opened in 1892.
Right: The Globe Inn c1900
Religion has also played its part within the community
and a number of religious buildings have been opened to
serve the community. The earliest of these being Moria
Aman Welsh Congregationalist Chapel which opened in 1855,
this was followed by Seion Welsh Baptist Chapel (1859),
Soar Welsh Presbyterian Chapel (1859), Bethel English Primitive
Methodist Chapel (1872/73), St. Joseph's Anglican Church
(1880/81) and Trinity English Baptist Chapel (1901).
In the photograph (right) a mother and her two children
stand at the doorway of one of the miners houses in Fforchaman
Row. Cracks in the rendering on the walls indicate the
speed with which these houses were built - the building
had not been allowed to settle prior to the application
of the render.
Cwmaman Coal Industry
The Village of Cwmaman owes it's existence
to the discovery during the early 19th century of rich
coal seams within the district. It's growth is linked
to the development of the steam coal industry and the three
large scale collieries that once operated within the area.
These collieries were:
CWMNEOL COLLIERY:
More commonly known as Morris Pit, this was the earliest
colliery to be opened in the Cwmaman area. It was opened
in 1848 by John and Charles Carr of Northumberland and
Martin Morrison of Newport. This partnership retained ownership
of the colliery until 1865 when it was sold to the Aman-Aberdare
Coal Co. Ltd. Ownership of the colliery changed again in
1868 when the colliery was sold to the Powell
Duffryn Steam Collieries Co. Ltd. , soon to become
the largest coal combine in the world. They continued to
operate the colliery until the nationalisation of the coal
industry in 1947 when control of the colliery was given
to the National Coal Board who closed the colliery in 1948.
CWMAMAN COLLIERY
Also known as Shepherd's Pit. The first shafts were sunk
in 1849 with coal being found in December of that year.
The colliery was founded by Thomas Shepherd in partnership
with H. J. Evans, who later operated the colliery alone,
until the Cwmaman Coal Company was formed to purchase the
colliery in 1873. Expansion followed with the opening of
the Fforchwen pit in 1900 and the Trewen Pit between 1910
- 1912. In 1918 the Cwmaman Coal Co. Ltd. sold their enterprise
to D. R. Llewellyn, with further ownership changes occurring
in 1928 and 1934 when it was owned by the Bwllfa and Cwmaman
Coal Co. Ltd and Welsh Associated Collieries Ltd respectively.
When the colliery closed in 1935 it was under the control
of the Powell Duffryn Associated Collieries.
FFORCHAMAN COLLIERY
Also known as Brown's pit. Originally founded by James
Brown and Thomas Prothero (& Co.) who obtained a lease
to work the coal seams from the relevant owners in 1856.
This partnership sold the Fforchaman Pit in 1864 to the
United Merthyr Colliery Co. Ltd., who themselves sold the
colliery to the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company in 1868.
The colliery remained under their control until the nationalisation
of the coal industry in 1947 and was closed by the National
Coal Board in 1965.
In addition to these major collieries two
lesser and short lived ventures were attempted, these being
the Fforchneol Colliery (1868-1893) and the Bedwlwyn Colliery
(1865-1901).
Cwmaman Institute
Probably the first lasting venture of its
kind in the Cynon Valley, was opened
in March of 1868. Originally opened as a reading room
within a house provided rent-free by the Cwmaman Coal Company,
it moved in 1881 to 10a Railway Terrace. In 1884 the workmen
of Cwmaman Colliery agreed to a poundage scheme, whereby
a half-penny in each pound of their wages would be deducted
weekly in support of an expanded institution at the Tea Caddy
Shop at numbers 130 and 131, Glanaman Road.
This location soon proved to be insufficient and a building
committee was appointed by a public meeting in 1889. A
99-year lease for land on the Cwmneol Estate was negotiated
and an architect, Thomas Roderick of Clifton Street, Aberdare
and builders, Messers Powell and Mansell of Cardiff were
engaged. The completed building was formally opened by
Lord Aberdare on the 25th January 1892 and included a public
hall with seating for 700, reading rooms, a billiard room
and a caretaker's cottage.
Progress was temporarily halted when the building was destroyed
by fire on the 19th April 1896. However restoration work was soon under
way and the restored institute was completed by about January 1897. Later additions
to the building were made in the shape of a lesser hall in 1906 and a single
storey building in 1925.The Institute soon became the cultural centre of the
community holding, eisteddfodau, Colliery Lodge meetings and becoming officially
linked with the Cwmaman Brass Band in 1912. The library also prospered and
by 1911 contained a total of 4,273 books: 3,679 in English and 594 in Welsh.
Above: Cwmaman Institute circa 1895 prior to the fire
which completely destroyed the main building. In the middle
distance (left) is Fforchaman Colliery and in between the
two stacks in the far distance Cwmaman Colliery can just
be made out. The new housing is still in pristine condition
in the 1890's but later conditions deteriorated as the
mine workings grew.
The depression years saw a dramatic decrease
in income from the collier's poundage scheme and in the
years 1920 - 1926 the institute lost almost 83% of its
income from this source. Despite this and with the aid
of grants from the Miners Welfare Commission the institute
played a vital role in helping to alleviate the suffering
of the community. Fund raising, providing food and carrying
out political work became the main features of the institute
at this time.The years following the Second World War were
spent in reviving the cultural life of the community. This
involved not only reviving established cultural activities
such as the Institute Silver Band but introducing new innovations
to accommodate the changes in social patterns and values
evident after World war Two. These included the introduction
of a public cinema in 1954 and the opening of licensed
premises in 1967.
Cultural activities were still encouraged and in particular
live theatre productions began to flourish again, leading
to the founding in 1972 of the Institute Theatre Group.
In 1992/1993 extensive external restoration was made possible
by a Welsh Office grant under its urban aid programme.
Today the institute remains the busy centre of its community
and although many of its functions have changed greatly
it still holds firmly to the principles of community service.
