Gwynfi Heritage

31/10/2024

L to R: Blaencwm side of the Afan Rhondda Tunnel; Commemorative stone, Blaengwynfi side of the tunnel; Blaengwynfi side of the tunnel

07/10/2024

Lads with their trams outside Cwm Cas Level Glyncorrwg 1911 www.gwynfiheritage.com

06/05/2024

Great to see Gwynfi featured in the Voices From Underground Miners Strikes 40th anniversary Coalfield Communities project ⛏️🖤✊🏻 Does anyone have any additional images of the village, or surrounding villages, then and now to submit? For full details, check out the post below or visit www.stelvans.com/coalfield-communities ⛏️📸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

07/01/2023

Not a Gwynfi story, but of nearby Port Talbot

On the grounds of Port Talbot’s steel works still stands thjs 800-year-old medieval wall which, if the legend is to be believed, is cursed. Still to this day, works apprentices are ordered to keep maintaining and protecting the wall to fend off an ancient curse, which says that “when this wall falls down... so shall the town”

The story goes that in the 1530s, during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, an enraged Cistercian monk placed a hex on the remains of an old farmhouse. This was the holy man’s vengeful parting gift to the abbey’s new owner, Sir Rice Mansel. If he failed to protect the farmhouse’s one remaining wall, the curse would come to pass.

There have been many ghost sightings in the area where the cursed wall stands. Some even claim to have seen the eerie figure of the monk himself still haunting the area to this day

From Sir Rice Mansel to the now owners Tata Steel, no one has yet wanted to take the risk of letting the wall fall. Like many legends, the tale is doubted, but the fact does remain that the wall is still standing

05/09/2022

Amazing views of the Bwlch

14/06/2022

What a fantastic image of the Aber & Blaengwynfi Roll of Honour of 1919 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇬🇧 The names on this memorial are still read out in an Evening of Remembrance in the village every November. We Will Remember Them www.gwynfiheritage.com

04/05/2022

On 4th May 1959 Aneurin Bevan was elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party. Bevan was one of the most charismatic ministers of the post-war Labour government and was instrumental in establishing the National Health Service

Bevan was born in Tredegar on 15th November 1897 and at the age of 13 he followed his father by working as a coal miner. He soon became a socialist and trades union activist; during the 1926 General Strike he emerged as a leader of the South Wales miners. In 1929 he became MP for Ebbw Vale and after Labour's post-war election victory in 1945 was appointed Minister for Health. He was at the forefront of the establishment of the National Health Service

In 1951 Bevan was appointed Minister of Labour, but resigned shortly afterwards in protest at the government's introduction of prescription charges for dental work and spectacles. He was leader of a left-wing group in the Labour Party known as 'Bevanites', standing unsuccessfully for the party leadership in 1955. In 1959, Bevan was elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party, even though it was known that he was suffering from cancer. Bevan died the following year on 6th July

God Bless Aneurin Bevan 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 www.gwynfiheritage.com

13/04/2022

Can anyone identify this Blaengwynfi branded object…? www.gwynfiheritage.com

11/04/2022

Tremendous heritage photo of a “knocker up”. A knocker up was someone who was paid to wake others up in time for work, before the time of the alarm clock! Is there anyone you know who could still use this service today? 😁 www.gwynfiheritage.com

10/03/2022

A great period postcard here of Aber | Blaengwynfi www.gwynfiheritage.com ⛏❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

24/02/2022

Huge thanks to Paul Phillips for sending in this excellent feature on the Avon Colliery

Abergwynfi, Afan Valley (SS 8948 9617) Link to map This pit was sunk between 1877 and 1882 by Sir Daniel Gooch to work the Six-Feet seam, with the manager in 1878/84 being J.G. Morris, and in 1896 it was J.G. Morris. The level worked in conjunction with the pits was...