Historicals | Senghenydd: A History in Photographs

Salem Chapel, High Street

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:49:25 -0400

This picture, shot for the South Wales Echo on April 8, 1987, shows Bill Gallagher outside the Salem Chapel which was in the process of being demolished. The caption states that Mr. Gallagher waged an unsuccessful campaign to save the building.

Photograph by Marshman, courtesy of Media Wales Archives

Workmen's hut, Gwern Avenue

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:49:22 -0400

This photograph has the following caption on the back of the print, dated June 23, 1967. "The dilapidated workmen's hut at the end of Gwern Avenue, Senghenydd, still used by council workmen, which residents claim is an eyesore in the district."

Photograph by Marshman, courtesy of Media Wales Archives

Craig Terrace, Senghenydd

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:49:18 -0400

This photograph shows Craig Terrace residents on a sunny day, September 4, 1969.

Photograph courtesy of Media Wales Archives

The Senghenydd Explosion memorial

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:49:12 -0400

On a rainy 9th October 1981, workers put the final touches on the memorial commemorating the 1913 Universal Colliery explosion. The memorial stands 20 feet high and replicates the original mine headgear.

Photograph courtesy of Media Wales Archives

Erecting the Memorial

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:49:04 -0400

Workers put the final touches on the Senghenydd memorial the week prior to the unveiling ceremony. October 1981.

Photograph courtesy of Media Wales Archives

Senghenydd Clock Towere

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:47:44 -0400

The news report that accompanied this January 26, 1973 photograph in the South Wales Echo read as follows:

"Senghenydd's "Big Ben" is set to work again. For more than 45 years the mining community set the time to the war memorial clock in the centre of the village, but then it stopped. Since then there has been mounting pressure to repair it and at last the Caerphilly Urban Council have allocated 500 pounds for the job".

The article continued. "A Midlands firm will shortly strip the clock and begin the task of re-building. It needs new bearings, pendulum and weights and four new faces. Said a council spokesman, "Parts of the clock were broken by vandals and some pieces were stolen but it will soon be restored."

Photograph by Murray, courtesy of Media Wales Archives

The Square

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:44:54 -0400

The Senghenydd Square, sometime in the 1990's.

Photograph courtesy of Media Wales Archives

Coronation Terrace, May 1969

Mon, 26 May 2008 10:41:23 -0400

Coronation Terrace was a run down street owned by the National Coal Board. The homes were surplus to the operational needs of the coal industry with mining in decline across the country. The NCB saw no point in investing public money in repairs for homes that they saw no chance of recovering capital. It was the hope of the NCB to sell the houses on to sitting tenants, local councils or private companies, but that plan faced huge obstacles in the poor economic climate where money and investments were few. The story in the South Wales Echo tells of conditions so bad that "women have to take umbrellas to the toilet to keep off the rain. In other coal board houses occupants take their bath by standing in a tub in front of the fire."

Photograph by Lewis, courtesy of Media Wales Archives

The Universal Colliery, 1962

Sun, 25 May 2008 12:38:52 -0400

The Universal Colliery as it looked in 1962. The back of this print shows a fascinating montage of scribbled notes and rubber stamps typical of photographs that have been used and re-used through years in the archives of newspapers. The earliest date, in pencil, is October 7, 1962, so my best guess is that was taken around the time. It is easily one of my favorite photographs from Senghenydd. It is a beautiful fiber-based print (although now a little dog-eared) which appears to have been taken in the soft light of early morning with the mist softening the mountains in the background. It is a photograph of such compositional excellence that I feel could comfortably reside on the walls of any fine art museum the world.

Photograph by Glyn Davies, courtesy of Media Wales Archives

The Universal Colliery, 1963

Fri, 23 May 2008 17:57:33 -0400

The Universal Colliery architecture as it was in 1963, 50 years following the major explosion. This photograph is an eerie commemoration of the colliery site and is another outstanding image by photographer, Glyn Davies. In this frame he has captured a solemn scene, wonderfully executed, which I could look at for hours.

Photograph by Glyn Davies, courtesy of Media Wales Archives

Statue of Lord Merthyr of Senghenydd

Sun, 04 May 2008 12:04:07 -0400

This undated postcard, shows the memorial to Lord Merthyr of Senghenydd which is locatd in Aberdare. He controlled a number of pits in the region, including the pit at Senghenydd which he sank in 1895.

Postcard of a model of a working coal mine

Sun, 04 May 2008 11:28:20 -0400

This is an undated postcard which, on the reverse side, has printed, "A Working Model of the Senghenydd Colliery, South Wales, 500 men lost their lives, October 13th, 1913." There are a number of aspects that make me curious about this postcard. Firstly, where is this model, and does it still exist? Second, who could have been so uninformed about the event so as to boldly round up the number of men losing their lives from 439 to 500? And lastly, you have to wonder who would buy such a mundane and uninteresting postcard (apart, of course, from me).

Catholic Church

Sun, 04 May 2008 11:18:09 -0400

Undated postcard of the Catholic Church, Senghenydd.

View of Commercial Street

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:46:40 -0400

This undated postcard shows a view shot from the perspective of the Square looking South down Commercial Street towards Abertridwr. The store on the right was a sweet shop owned by William G. Marshall, who also happened to be my great grandfather. Sheila Anzani, my mother, fondly recalls working there on Saturdays in her early teens when she helped with the making of homemade ice cream. She also described the memorable scene of long lines stretching from the store far down the street in the 1950's, when war ration coupon restrictions were lifted.