pontypriddmuseum

Pontypridd Museum Awarded Funding for Major Renovation Projects

Mon, 15 Sep 2025 16:05:27 GMT

Amgueddfa Pontypridd yn Derbyn Cyllid ar Gyfer Prosiectau Adnewyddu Mawr

Pontypridd Museum Awarded Funding for Major Renovation Projects

Mae Amgueddfa Pontypridd wedi derbyn dau grant gan Lywodraeth Cymru i ymgymryd â phrosiectau adnewyddu mawr ar y safle.

Bydd yr amgueddfa, sy'n cael ei rheoli gan Gyngor Tref Pontypridd, yn derbyn cyfanswm o £300,000 mewn cyllid sydd ynghlwm wrth raglen Blaenoriaethau ar gyfer Diwylliant Llywodraeth Cymru.

Bydd grant o £150,000 yn galluogi adfer, cadwraeth a digideiddio gwrthrych mwyaf yr amgueddfa, Organ Bib Conacher o 1910, sy’n cael ei harddangos yn barhaol yn hen Gapel y Tabernacl y Bedyddwyr, sef Amgueddfa Pontypridd bellach.

Cafodd yr organ ei hailwampio'n llwyr ddiwethaf ym 1988 ac mae mewn cyflwr gwael iawn ar hyn o bryd ac yn anaddas i'w chwarae. Bydd y grant yn galluogi i bob rhan o'r organ gael eu hatgyweirio ac yn cyflwyno rheolydd digidol fel y gellir recordio datganiad a'i chwarae'n ôl i ymwelwyr heb i organydd fod yn bresennol. Ar hyn o bryd dim ond mewn ychydig o leoliadau blaenllaw'r byd mae hyn yn digwydd, fel y Palau de la Música yn Barcelona ac organau enwog Eglwys Gadeiriol Caergaint a Chadeirlan Efrog yn Lloegr.

Bydd gwaith yn dechrau ar y prosiect yr hydref hwn gyda'r nod o adfer yr organ yn llawn ac yn weithredol erbyn 1 Mawrth, 2026, mewn pryd ar gyfer Cyngerdd Dydd Gŵyl Dewi blynyddol y Maer.

Dyfarnwyd grant pellach i atgyweirio to siop ac ystafelloedd cymunedol yr amgueddfa sy'n gollwng. Bydd yr atgyweiriadau i’r adeilad yn amddiffyn casgliadau wrth gefn yr amgueddfa, ased cymunedol allweddol a bydd yn galluogi'r amgueddfa i gynnal ei rôl fel canolfan ar gyfer lles, creadigrwydd a chydlyniant cymdeithasol trwy barhau i ddefnyddio'r ystafelloedd cymunedol, sy'n cynnal amrywiaeth o weithgareddau am ddim ac yn cael eu defnyddio’n rheolaidd gan grwpiau lleol i gynnal digwyddiadau a gweithgareddau.

Bydd adnewyddu'r gofod awyr agored o amgylch y to’n adfywio'r platfform gwylio ar gyfer Pont fyd-enwog Pontypridd, sydd hefyd yn cynnwys ardal bicnic a gardd a'r garreg gychwyn ar gyfer Llwybr Mab Pontypridd, sy'n dathlu mythau a chwedlau hynafol Cymru.

Dywedodd Nigel Blackamore, Rheolwr Busnes a Phartneriaethau Amgueddfa Pontypridd,

'Mae Organ Bib Conacher yn fwy na offeryn—dyma galon ein hamgueddfa a chyswllt byw â threftadaeth gerddorol gyfoethog Pontypridd. Bydd ei hadfer nid yn unig yn adfywio ei phresenoldeb pwerus ond hefyd yn ailgysylltu cenedlaethau trwy sain, atgof ac arloesedd. Gyda phŵer technoleg ddigidol a chrefft adeiladwyr organau arbenigol,

rydyn ni’n sicrhau nad yw'r gwrthrych eiconig hwn yn pylu i dawelwch, ond yn canu unwaith eto i'n cymuned a'r byd.'

Dywedodd Arweinydd Cyngor Tref Pontypridd, y Cynghorydd Lynda Davies,

'Mae dyfarnu grantiau Llywodraeth Cymru yn newyddion gwych i Amgueddfa Pontypridd ac i Bontypridd. Bydd y prosiectau adnewyddu’n caniatáu i'r amgueddfa barhau i gynnal gweithgareddau diwylliannol, addysgol a lles a bydd yn cryfhau ei rôl fel canolfan fywiog ar gyfer treftadaeth leol a bywyd cymunedol.

Mae hyn yn adeiladu ar y gwaith sydd eisoes yn mynd rhagddo yn yr amgueddfa, ac yn rhan o brosiectau a phartneriaethau diwylliannol ehangach helaeth Cyngor Tref Pontypridd. Mae Nigel a'i dîm yn gwneud gwaith gwych yn adfywio a datblygu Amgueddfa Pontypridd, gan sicrhau ei bod yn parhau i fod yn gaffaeliad hanfodol i'n cymuned.’

Bydd gwaith yn dechrau ar y ddau brosiect yr hydref hwn a bydd y newyddion diweddaraf cael eu postio ar wefannau a chyfryngau cymdeithasol Cyngor Tref Pontypridd ac Amgueddfa Pontypridd.

Pontypridd Museum has been awarded two Welsh Government grants to undertake major renovation projects on the site.

The museum, which is managed by Pontypridd Town Council, will receive a total of £300k in funding attached to the Welsh Government’s Priorities for Culture programme.

A grant of £150k will enable the restoration, conservation and digitisation of the museum’s largest object, the 1910 Conacher Pipe Organ, on permanent display in the former Welsh Baptist Tabernacl Chapel, now Pontypridd Museum.

The organ was last fully overhauled in 1988 and is currently in a very poor state of repair and practically unplayable. The grant will allow the repair of all parts of the organ and introduce a digital control so that a recital can be recorded and played back to visitors without an organist being present. This currently happens in just a few of the world’s leading venues such as the Palau de la Música in Barcelona and in the UK the famous organs of Canterbury Cathedral and York Minster.

Work will start on the project this Autumn with the aim of the organ being fully restored and operational by March 1, 2026, in time for the annual Mayor’s St David’s Day Concert.

A further grant has been awarded to repair the leaking roof of the museum store and community rooms. The building repairs will protect the museum’s reserve collections, a key community asset and will enable the museum to sustain its role as a hub for wellbeing, creativity, and social cohesion through the continued use of the community rooms, which host a variety of free activities and are regularly used by local groups to host events and activities.

The renovation of the outdoor space around the roof will revitalise the viewing platform for the world-famous Pontypridd Bridge, which also includes a picnic area and garden and the starting stone for Pontypridd’s Mab Trail, which celebrates Wales’ ancient myths and legends.

Nigel Blackamore, Pontypridd Museum Business and Partnerships Manager said,

'The Conacher Pipe Organ is more than an instrument—it’s the beating heart of our museum and a living link to Pontypridd’s rich musical heritage. Restoring it will not only revive its powerful presence but also reconnect generations through sound, memory, and innovation. With the power of digital technology and the craftsmanship of expert organ builders, we’re ensuring this iconic object doesn’t fade into silence, but sings once again for our community and the world.'

Pontypridd Town Council Leader, Cllr. Lynda Davies said,

‘The award of the Welsh Government grants is fantastic news for Pontypridd Museum and for Pontypridd. The renovation projects will allow the museum to continue hosting cultural, educational, and wellbeing activities and will strengthen its role as a vibrant hub for local heritage and community life.

This builds on the work already ongoing at the museum, and forms part of Pontypridd Town Council’s extensive wider cultural projects and partnerships. Nigel and his team are doing fantastic work in revitalising and developing Pontypridd Museum, ensuring it remains a vital asset for our community.’

Work will begin on both projects this Autumn and updates will be posted to Pontypridd Town Council and Pontypridd Museum websites and social media.

Cliciwch yma am fwy o wybodaeth.

Click here for more information.

Tourmaline Trail

Tue, 21 Jan 2025 10:11:57 GMT

Ydych chi’n chwilio am weithgaredd hwyliog sy’n rhad ac am ddim yn Amgueddfa Pontypridd yn ystod gwyliau hanner tymor mis Chwefror?

O Dydd Llun 24 Chwefror ymunwch â ni i fwynhau Llwybr Tourmaline a’r Amgueddfa Rhyfeddodau! Chwiliwch am Tourmaline, ei ffrindiau ac amrywiaeth o arteffactau hudol sy’n cuddio yn yr amgueddfa – ac yna lluniwch eich Amgueddfa Rhyfeddodau eich hun! Bydd y tri chynllun buddugol yn ennill bwndel lyfrau Tourmaline a Thocyn Celf Cenedlaethol (a phlant) drwy garedigrwydd @artfund. Cwblhewch y llwybr i dderbyn sticer!

Looking for a free, fun activity at Pontypridd Museum this February half term?

From Monday 24th February, join us for Tourmaline and the Museum of Marvels Trail! Spot Tourmaline, her friends and a variety of magical artefacts hiding in the museum – and then design your very own Museum of Marvels! Three winning designs will win a signed Tourmaline book bundle and a National Art Pass (plus kids) courtesy of Artfund. Complete the trail to receive a sticker!

Palu Am Fuddigoliaeth | Dig For Victory

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:56:18 GMT

Palu am Fuddigoliaeth

Safle Palu am Fuddugoliaeth yn Rhandiroedd Berw Road yw'r safle treftadaeth perffaith ar gyfer dysgu am bob agwedd am yr Ail Ryfel Byd.

Mae'r blwch pilbocs gwreiddiol o'r Ail Ryfel Byd sy'n edrych dros Afon Taf, yn nodi'r man lle byddai dynion wedi cael eu lleoli, gwn mewn llaw, yn barod i amddiffyn Pontypridd rhag ymosodiadau gan y gelyn. Yn cyd-fynd â'r blwch pilsen, mae gan y safle hefyd randir Tŷ Bach wedi'i adnewyddu, Anderson Shelter, 'Dig for Victory' ynghyd â sied gardd sy'n cynnwys arteffactau, posteri a gwybodaeth go iawn am Fyddin Tir y Merched.

Mae'r safle treftadaeth hwn yn lleoliad delfrydol ar gyfer ymweliadau addysgol, am fewnwelediad gwych i fywyd ar y ffrynt cartref yn ystod y rhyfel.

Am ragor o fanylion, gwybodaeth a chynllun gwersi awgrymedig, lawrlwythwch y PDF – ar gael yn Gymraeg ac yn Saesneg.

Os hoffech ymweld â'r safle neu os oes gennych unrhyw gwestiynau, cysylltwch â Swyddog Cyswllt Ysgolion a Chymuned Amgueddfa Pontypridd: caysha.frederick@pontypriddtowncouncil.gov.uk

Dig for Victory

The Dig For Victory site at Berw Road Allotments is the perfect heritage site for learning about all aspects of World War II.

The original WW2 pillbox, overlooking the River Taff, marks the point where men would have been stationed, gun in hand, ready to defend Pontypridd from enemy attacks. Accompanying the pillbox, the site also has a refurbished Tŷ Bach, Anderson Shelter, ‘Dig for Victory’ allotment complete with a garden shed containing real artefacts, posters and information about the Women’s Land Army.

This heritage site is the ideal location for educational visits, for an immersive insight into life on the homefront during the war.

For further details, information and suggested lesson plan, download the PDF – available in both Welsh and English.

If you would like to visit the site or have any questions, please contact Pontypridd Museum’s School and Community Liaison Officer: caysha.frederick@pontypriddtowncouncil.gov.uk

The Pit Pony Project

Fri, 13 Oct 2023 13:56:07 GMT

The Pit Pony’s Journey: From Pits to Paradise

Ym mis Ebrill 2023, bu Amgueddfa Pontypridd yn cydweithio gyda thair Ysgol Gynradd leol; Ysgol Gynradd Coedpenmaen, Ysgol Gynradd Coed-y-Lan ac Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Evan James i ddysgu am fywydau a gwaddol merlod y pwll ym Mhyllau Glo De Cymru. Dysgodd y plant am yr amodau yr oedd merlod y pwll yn gweithio ac yn byw ynddynt, y dynion a fyddai wedi gofalu amdanynt a'r rôl bwysig a chwaraewyd ganddynt yn natblygiad diwydiannol ein cenedl. I gloi'r prosiect, croesawom Flossy and Boo Theatre Company, y bardd Mike Church a'r canwr-gyfansoddwyr lleol Matthew Frederick a Jessiie Jenkins, i hwyluso diwrnod gweithdy celfyddydol mynegiannol, lle gallai'r plant gyfuno eu holl wybodaeth flaenorol a chael hwyl yn creu darnau drama, cerddi a chân grŵp ar y cyd, i gyd er anrhydedd y merlod pwll.

Gwnaed y prosiect hwn yn bosibl diolch i'r gefnogaeth a'r cyllid a dderbyniwyd gan Gronfa’r Celfyddydau, ac rydym wrth ein bodd eu bod wedi hoffi ein prosiect gymaint, fel eu bod wedi dewis i’w gynnwys ar eu gwefan fel enghraifft i amgueddfeydd eraill. Da iawn i bawb fu'n cymryd rhan!

The Pit Pony’s Journey: From Pits to Paradise

In April 2023, Pontypridd Museum collaborated with three local Primary Schools; Coedpenmaen Primary, Coed-y-Lan Primary and Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Evan James to learn about the lives and legacy of the pit ponies in the South Wales Collieries. The children learnt about the conditions the pit ponies worked and lived in, the men who would have looked after them and the important role they played in our nation’s industrial development. To conclude the project, we welcomed Flossy and Boo Theatre Company, poet Mike Church and local singer-songwriters Matthew Frederick and Jessiie Jenkins, to facilitate an expressive arts workshop day, where the children could pool all of their prior knowledge and have fun creating drama pieces, poems and a collective group song, all in honour of the pit ponies.

This project was made possible thanks to the support and funding received from the Arts Fund, and we are delighted that they loved our project so much, that they chose to feature us on their website as an example to other museums. A huge well done to all involved!

Pontypridd & District Art Society Annual Exhibition

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 13:23:51 GMT

Arddangosfa Gelf Flynyddol 2023 Annual Art Exhibition 202 3

Gweithiau a grëwyd gan aelodau’r gymdeithas gan ddefnyddio amrywiaeth o amlgyfrwng megis dyfrlliw, llinell (inc a phensil), pastel, acrylig, neu gyfrwng cymysg ac yn ymdrin ag ystod eang o bynciau.

Nid ydym yn cynnal dosbarthiadau ond mae cyngor bob amser wrth law. Canolfan Gymunedol y Ddraenen Wen bob dydd Iau 7-9 pm.

Os hoffech ymuno â ni cysylltwch:

Terry ar 07443 944310 neu Linda ar 07889 899858

Works created by members of the society using a variety of multi-media such as watercolour, line (ink & pencil), pastel, acrylic, or mixed-media and covering a wide range of subject matter.

We don’t hold classes but advice is always to hand.

Hawthorn Community Centre Thursdays 7-9 pm

If you want to join us contact:

Terry on 07443 944310 or Linda on 07889 899858

Blooming Ponty

Tue, 11 Jul 2023 10:22:21 GMT

Blooming Marvellous

Cynhyrchwyd gan ein grŵp o 12 artist lleol dawnus a brwdfrydig, yn dysgu celf botanegol o dan diwtoriaeth arbenigol Sally Stubbings. Rydym yn gweithio o flodau tymhorol ffres, byw a deunyddiau eraill yn ein gerddi ac ar y safle yn Amgueddfa Crochenwaith Nantgarw.

Sally yw'r crochenydd a'r artist preswyl sy'n gweithio ar y rysáit sydd newydd ei hailddarganfod ar gyfer porslen tryloyw a ddefnyddiwyd gyntaf gan William Billingsley yn y 18fed ganrif ac a addurnwyd ac a orffennwyd gan Thomas Pardoe.

Wedi'i ysbrydoli gan eu celf hardd, dangosodd ein harddangosfa gyntaf, yn Nantgarw yn 2022, ein cynnydd mewn paentio dyfrlliw o bynciau botanegol, wedi'i dynnu o fywyd byw a ffotograffau.

Gan weithio bob wythnos, rydym wedi adeiladu corff o waith a hoffem rannu hyn gyda chynulleidfa ehangach yn ein chwaer amgueddfa ym Mhontypridd.

Produced by our group of 12 talented and enthusiastic local artists, learning Botanical art under the expert tutelage of Sally Stubbings. We work from fresh, live seasonal flowers and other materials in our gardens and on site at the Nantgarw Chinaworks Museum.

Sally is the resident potter and artist working on the newly rediscovered recipe for translucent porcelain first used by William Billingsley in the 18th century and decorated and finished by Thomas Pardoe.

Inspired by their beautiful art, our first exhibition, at Nantgarw in 2022, demonstrated our progress in watercolour painting of botanical subjects, drawn from life and photographs.

Working every week, we have built a body of work and would like to share this with a wider audience at our sister museum in Pontypridd.

Dyfrlliwiau gwreiddiol a chardiau i'w gwerthu, wedi'u hysbrydoli gan natur.

Original watercolours and cards for sale, inspired by nature.

David Roberts CBE Paralympian

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 10:37:28 GMT

David Roberts, CBE Paralympain

Roedd David Roberts CBE yn nofiwr Paralympaidd o Gymru, ac mae’n un o’r Paralympiaid mwyaf llwyddiannus erioed o Brydain. Ganed David ym Mhontypridd ar 25 Mai 1980 a chafodd ddiagnosis o barlys yr ymennydd pan oedd yn ddeg oed. Oherwydd ei ddiagnosis, cafodd ei annog i gymryd rhan mewn nofio fel dull amgen o ffisiotherapi.

Buan y datgelwyd ei ddawn ac yn 13 oed, cynrychiolodd Gymru yn Glasgow gan ennill y pedair ras y bu’n cystadlu ynddynt. Cynrychiolodd Gymru am y tro cyntaf ym Mhencampwriaeth Nofio Anabl Ewrop yn yr Almaen, 1999, a daeth yn nofiwr Paralympaidd am y tro cyntaf yng Ngemau Paralympaidd Sydney 2000, yng nghategori S7 SB7 SM7, lle enillodd dair medal aur, tair medal arian ac un fedal efydd. Parhaodd David â'i yrfa yng Ngemau Paralympaidd 2004 yn Athen gan ennill pedair medal aur arall ac un fedal arian. Yn y Gemau Paralympaidd yn 2008 yn Beijing, torrodd record y byd 100m dull rhydd. Cafodd David ei ddewis i gario'r faner yn y seremoni gloi yn Beijing oherwydd ei lwyddiant yn y pwll.

Mae David wedi cael gyrfa helaeth, yn nofio ac yn cystadlu ledled y byd.

David Roberts CBE, is a retired Welsh Paralympic swimmer, and is one of Britain’s most successful Paralympians. David was born in Pontypridd on 25th May 1980 and diagnosed with cerebral palsy when he was ten. Due to his diagnosis, he was encouraged to participate in swimming as an alternative method of physiotherapy.

His talent was soon revealed and at the tender age of 13, he represented Wales in Glasgow winning all four races in which he competed. He first represented Britain at the European Disabled Swimming Championship in Germany, 1999, and debuted as a Paralympic swimmer at the Sydney 2000 Paralympics, in category S7, SB7, SM7, where he won three golds, three silvers and one bronze medal. David continued his career at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens winning a further four golds and one silver medal. At the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, he broke the 100m freestyle world record. David was selected to carry the flag at the closing ceremony in Beijing due to his accomplishments in the pool.

David has had an extensive career, swimming and competing all around the world.

In recognition of his accomplishments and influence, David has been nominated for Ponty and Proud 2023.

Myfyrdodau | Reflections IWD 2023

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 14:24:37 GMT

Myfyrdodau ar Ddigwyddiadau Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Menywod yr Amgueddfa 2023

Reflections of International Women’s Day Museum Events 2023

Banner Workshop with Artist Katie Smith

Dechreuodd IWD 2023 ar 4 Mawrth gyda gweithdy baneri dan arweiniad yr artist Katie Smith. Dyma rai myfyrdodau ar y gweithdy gan gyfranogwyr unigol:

“Fe wnes i fwynhau’r prynhawn yn fawr. Roedd pawb yn gyfeillgar ac roedd yn wych gwrando ar farn ein gilydd ar rôl merched mewn cymdeithas. Er mai gweithdy baneri ydoedd, roedd hefyd yn gyfle i mi wrando ar y genhedlaeth iau a dysgu ganddynt.” - Anne

“Mae wedi bod yn sbel ers i mi wnïo ac roeddwn i'n poeni y byddwn i'n gwneud llanast ohono! Daeth yn amlwg yn fuan iawn bod y cyfeillgarwch rhwng y grŵp yn llawer pwysicach na fy sgiliau gwnïo amheus. Mwynheais ddysgu am hanes gwneud baneri fel ffordd i fenywod fynegi eu hunain ac mae wedi fy ysbrydoli i ddal ati i wnïo. Roedd y sgwrs gefnogol a chynhwysol a gawsom ymhlith y grŵp amrywiol mor galonogol a chysurol." -Anon

“Fe wnes i fwynhau dysgu gwnïo - er fy mod i’n ei wneud yn anghywir o hyd! Tra roeddwn yn gwnïo, buom yn siarad am ba mor bwysig yw cefnogi ein gilydd mewn gofod anfeirniadol. Roedd yn hyfryd siarad â gwahanol bobl gyda syniadau gwahanol.” -Alice

"Roedd yn brynhawn bendigedig yn dysgu sut i wneud baneri. Roeddwn i wrth fy modd gyda chreadigrwydd yr holl fenywod oedd yn cymryd rhan a'r sgyrsiau oedd yn procio'r meddwl. Roedd yn anrhydedd bod yn rhan ohono." -Amanda

“Roedd y gweithdy baner yn therapiwtig iawn ac yn ofod diogel i drafod syniadau am bŵer a rheolaeth, ynghyd â phynciau amrywiol eraill. Roeddwn i’n teimlo bod cael caniatâd i greu celf yn rhydd yn grymuso ac roedd gwrando ar straeon bywyd a phrofiadau pobl eraill yn ysbrydoledig.” - Tif

“Fe wnes i fwynhau’r gweithdy yn fawr. Rhannodd Katie lyfrau a thaflenni gwych i'n hysbrydoli a detholiad hyfryd o gyflenwadau crefft i gwblhau'r baneri. Roedd yn hyfryd cael seibiant gydag eneidiau hoff cytûn a myfyrio ar ba mor bell y mae menywod wedi dod ers cael y bleidlais ym 1918 (ond dim ond os oeddent dros 30 oed)." - Kath

I WD 2023 kicked off on the 4th March with a banner workshop led by artist Katie Smith. Here are some reflections of the workshop by individual participants:

"I really enjoyed the afternoon. Everybody was friendly and it was fantastic to listen to each other's opinions on women's role in society. Even though it was a banner workshop, it was equally an opportunity for me to listen to and learn from the younger generation." - Anne

"It's been a while since I've done any sewing and I was worried I'd make a mess of it! It quickly became apparent that the camaraderie between the group was far more important than my ropey sewing skills. I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the history of banner-making as a way for women to express themselves and it's inspired me to keep sewing. The supportive and inclusive conversation we had amongst the diverse group was so reassuring and uplifting."

-Anon

"I enjoyed learning to sew - even though I kept getting it wrong! While I was sewing, we talked about how important it is to support each other in a non-judgmental space. It was lovely to talk to different people with different ideas." - Alice

"It was a wonderful afternoon learning how to make banners. I loved the creativeness of all the women taking part and the thought provoking conversations. It was an honour to be a part of."

-Amanda

“I found the banner workshop very therapeutic and a safe space to discuss notions of power and control, along with various other topics. I felt that being allowed to create art freely was empowering and listening to other people’s life stories and experiences inspiring.” - Tif

“I really enjoyed the workshop. Katie provided some great books and handouts for inspiration and a nicely curated selection of craft supplies to complete the banners. It was lovely to take time out with like minded souls and reflect on how far women have come since getting the vote in 1918 (but only then if they were over the age of 30).”

-Kath

Cerdd ga | Poem by Rufus Mufasa

Ysgrifennwyd y gerdd yn wreiddiol yn Saesne

The poem was originally written in English.

Ysgrifennodd Rufus Mufasa gerdd i fyfyrio ar ddigwyddiad Diwrnod Rhyngwladol y Menywod yr amgueddfa:

Rufas Mufasa wrote a poem in reflection of the museum’s International Women’s Day event:

Come - stitch these women back in-to-our_fabrics
Morse code never give up
Acappella my everything 100
Embrace Equity Accolades - women stand up

Focus on the faith & the majesty
Not the romance & the tragedy
The magnitude of understanding
Can't comprehend the standard of study

The supreme gifts of a Treforest girl
To the star of the show in elite London
Rejoice in her cutting edge contributions
But it can't make the crimes undone

We'd rather sing of you
Than stand at your grave & weep
Head on right in to war
With no shoes on our feet

No-one gets left behind
No more judgement do we accept
No predetermined paths to follow
No crumbs - we coming for the bread

& we will no longer be the exception
We hold our own in any boardroom
You need to reshape your perception
Step-up ...

Diolch i bawb a fynychodd ac a gymerodd ran. Rydym yn gobeithio parhau i dynnu sylw at ferched anhygoel, deinamig a gwych Pontypridd!

We thank everyone who attended and participated. We hope to continue to highlight the wonderful, dynamic, and brilliant women of Pontypridd!

#IWD2023 #CofleidioCyfiawnder #EmbraceJustice

Lansiad Llyfr | Book Launch

Thu, 16 Mar 2023 15:32:55 GMT

Lansio Llyfr | Book Launch

Ar ôl 130 mlynedd, mae dirgelion Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Pontypridd, 1893 wedi’u datrys gyda chyhoeddi cyfrol newydd ‘No One Remembers Pontypridd: The forgotten story of the 1893 National Eisteddfod of Wales’ gan Sheldon Phillips. Roedd tri o hen ewythrod yr awdur yn gysylltiedig â threfnu Eisteddfod 1893, gan gynnwys yr Ysgrifennydd Cyffredinol, David E. Phillips.

Yn anarferol, does dim adroddiad swyddogol ar gyfer yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol hon, felly gyda rhagair gan Archdderwydd presennol Cymru, Myrddin ap Dafydd, mae'r gyfrol hon yn adrodd hanes anghofiedig a diddorol cais llwyddiannus Pontypridd ar gyfer Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 1893 – cais a welodd y dref yn curo Castell-nedd, Llanelli a CHICAGO! Mae’r gyfrol yn adrodd yr hanes yn llawn, o’r broses gynnig, i gynnal Eisteddfod Genedlaethol fwyaf y 19eg ganrif yn ôl y sôn, ac i’r hyn a ddigwyddodd ar ei hôl.

Yn ogystal â hanes Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 1893, mae'r awdur yn cynnig amlinelliad o ddatblygiad hanesyddol yr Eisteddfod Genedlaethol ynghyd â mewnwelediad i Bontypridd fel canolbwynt y byd Neo-Dderwyddon. Ceir hefyd sôn am fywyd yn ne Cymru yn y cyfnod; y twf cymdeithasol ac economaidd, ond gyda thlodi a thraseiedi y byd glofaol i’w gweld yn glir.

Mae'r llyfr yn gyfrol ddeniadol gyda delweddau a mapiau unigryw, gan gynnwys darluniau gwreiddiol o'r agoriad swyddogol ar ‘Rocking Stone’ enwog Pontypridd a seremoni cadeirio'r bardd.

Dywedodd Sheldon Phillips: "Rwy'n falch iawn o rannu’r stori gyfareddol hon o Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 1893 ym Mhontypridd er mwyn i’r Brifwyl gael ei chofnodi’n iawn. Rwy'n gobeithio fy mod i wedi llwyddo i ddal awyrgylch unigryw Eisteddfod 1893 ac y bydd hyn yn ysbrydoli pawb i gymryd rhan yn Eisteddfod Rhondda Cynon Taf 2024."

Meddai Helen Prosser, Cadeirydd Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Rhondda Cynon Taf 2024, "Rydyn ni'n gobeithio'n fawr y bydd Eisteddfod Genedlaethol 2024 yn wahanol i'r ŵyl a

gynhaliwyd nol yn 1893, ac y bydd ein Prifwyl yn cael ei chofio am amser hir fel un o'r gwyliau gorau, gan ddod â phobl o bob oed a chefndir ynghyd i ddathlu ein hiaith a'n diwylliant mewn ffordd fywiog, groesawgar a chynhwysol.

"Rydyn ni wrth ein boddau i fod yn rhan o'r lansiad, wrth i ni ddathlu mai dim ond 500 diwrnod sydd i fynd cyn i'r Eisteddfod agor yma yn Rhondda Cynon Taf. Rydyn ni’n llongyfarch Sheldon Phillips ar ei ymchwil a'i lyfr, ac edrychwn ymlaen at ddathlu lansio a llwyddiant cyfrol mor ddiddorol."

Bydd 'No One Remembers Pontypridd' yn cael ei lansio yn Amgueddfa Pontypridd rhwng 530pm a 730 y prynhawn ddydd Mercher 22 Mawrth 2023. Bydd cyfle i brynu copïau o'r llyfr wedi'u llofnodi gan yr awdur yn ystod y noson.

Am ragor o wybodaeth am Eisteddfod Rhondda Cynon Taf ewch i www.eisteddfod.cymru/2024 .

After 130 years, the mysteries of the 1893 National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd have finally been unravelled with the publication of a new book ‘No One Remembers Pontypridd: The forgotten story of the 1893 National Eisteddfod of Wales’ by Sheldon Phillips. Three of the author’s great uncles were involved in the organisation of the 1893 Eisteddfod, including the General Secretary, David E. Phillips.

Unusually there was no official report for this National Eisteddfod, so with a foreword from the current Archdruid of Wales, Myrddin ap Dafydd, this book tells the forgotten and fascinating story of Pontypridd’s successful bid for the 1893 National Eisteddfod - beating the other bidders Neath, Llanelli and CHICAGO! The full story is told from the bidding process, to delivery of probably the greatest National Eisteddfod of the 19th century, to the aftermath – and there was an aftermath!

As well as the story of the 1893 National Eisteddfod, the author provides an outline of the historical development of the National Eisteddfod and an insight into Pontypridd being the centre of the Neo-Druidism movement. There is the backdrop of life in south Wales at the time too - social and economic growth but poverty and coalmining tragedy never far away.

The book is a very attractive publication with some unique images and maps, including original illustrations of the official opening on Pontypridd’s famous Rocking Stone and the chairing of the bard ceremony.

Sheldon Phillips said: “I am delighted to share this enthralling story of the 1893 National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd and to provide the opportunity for it to be properly remembered. I also hope I have managed to capture the 1893 Eisteddfod’s spine-tingling atmosphere and that this inspires everyone to get in involved in Rhondda Cynon Taf 2024.”

Chair of the 2024 Rhondda Cynon Taf National Eisteddfod, Helen Prosser, said, “We very much hope that the outcome of the 2024 National Eisteddfod will be very different to the festival held back in 1893, and that our Eisteddfod will long be remembered as one of the

best festivals, bringing people of all ages and backgrounds together to celebrate our language and culture in a vibrant, welcoming and inclusive way.

“We’re delighted to be part of this launch, as we celebrate that there’s only 500 days to go before the Eisteddfod opens here in Rhondda Cynon Taf. We congratulate Sheldon Phillips on his research and book, and look forward to celebrate the launch and success of such an interesting volume.”

‘No One Remembers Pontypridd’ will be launched at Pontypridd Museum from 530pm-730pm on Wednesday 22 March 2023. There will be an opportunity to purchase copies of the book signed by the author during the evening.

For more information on the Rhondda Cynon taf National Eisteddfod, go to www.eisteddfod.wales/2024 .

Diwrnod Rhyngwladol Menywod | International Women's Day

Wed, 08 Feb 2023 14:31:50 GMT

Diwrnod Rhyngwladol Menywod 2023

International Women's Day 2023

Ymunwch â ni i ddathlu Diwrnod Rhyngwladol Menywod 2023!

Thema digwyddiad eleni yw Cofleidio Cyfiawnder neu #EmbraceEquity - gan amlygu’r angen am degwch a chyfiawnder er mwyn cyflawni gwir gydraddoldeb.

Ddydd Sadwrn 4 Mawrth cynhelir rhan gyntaf ein digwyddiad dwy ran ar ffurf gweithdy baneri dan arweiniad yr artist, Katie Smith. I archebu lle am ddim, cysylltwch â’r amgueddfa naill ai’n bersonol, drwy e-bost neu ar 01443 490740. Cynhelir yr ail ddigwyddiad ddydd Sadwrn 11 Mawrth, sef prynhawn yn llawn geiriau, cerddoriaeth a chelf i ddathlu bywydau a gwaddol rhai o fenywod mwyaf gwych Pontypridd. Bydd gweithgareddau ar gyfer y teulu ar gael drwy gydol y prynhawn a lluniaeth am ddim.

Edrychwn ymlaen at eich gweld yno!

Join us in celebrating International Women's Day 2023!
The theme for this year’s event is #EmbraceEquity - highlighting the need for equity in order to achieve true equality.

Saturday 4 ^th March will see the first of our two-part event in the form of a banner workshop led by artist, Katie Smith. To book your free place, please contact the museum either in person, via email or on 01443 490740. The second event will be held on Saturday 11 ^th March, an afternoon filled with words, music and art to celebrate the lives and legacies of some of Pontypridd’s most wonderful women. There will be family-friendly activities available throughout the afternoon and complimentary refreshments.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Meet our new Museum Business and Partnerships Manager

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Thu, 01 Dec 2022 12:56:01 GMT

Pontypridd Town Council has appointed a new Museum Business and Partnerships Manager at Pontypridd Museum. Nigel Blackamore has taken up this new and exciting post this week, joining us from y Gaer Museum, Art Gallery and Library in Brecon.

I’m Nigel Blackamore, the new Museum Business and Partnerships Manager for Pontypridd Town Council at Pontypridd Museum. Career-wise, I was an archaeologist in a former life, I left Cardiff University and joined the National Museum. I spent about 10 years in the National Museum and then travelled up to Brecon and became the Senior Curator there to lead the project with the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore, redevelop and reinterpret the collections in Brecon. That took a number of years and the project got bigger and bigger and we eventually co-located with the town library with a brand-new building and our historic grade II* listed Shire Hall, which we re-developed back into the museum, restoring the courtroom and bringing it back to life.

That project came to a conclusion after Covid, so I spent the last couple of years finishing up things there and I reached a point where a new challenge was in order. After 15 years in Brecon, it seemed a good opportunity to get some fresh blood into that building

and take that project to the next level.

What interests me particularly about Pontypridd are the developments that have been happening in the last few years around the museum. With the brand-new library, the Transport for Wales hub, the Yma YMCA building and the discussions around the Muni Arts Centre, it just struck me that these are all so close together, that what we’ve got is a very tight cultural quarter in Pontypridd and I could see that the museum was the missing piece. The museum is much loved - it’s been open since the 1980s, but it hasn’t really changed.

I think now’s the time for us to look at that and with some funding like the new buildings that have surrounded it, the museum can grow and become the heart of that cultural quarter. Museums to me are all about education and community and we need to be at the centre of the community. We’ve now got a new, sparkling library outside our building with a road crossing in between us, which is an easy partner for us to sit with. All of the arrows point to one thing, which are exciting possibilities ahead.

My first priority is to evaluate the collection to see what treasures we have, identify what objects and collections are loved by the public and to discover what further treasures we have in our research collections. There’s an opportunity to bring out and really play with the way that we interpret and display objects and engage new audiences. I’m incredibly keen to increase the footfall and to see the building be vibrant and have lots of new people coming to see it for the first time.

We’ve had our challenges - particularly with the floods back in 2020, a lot of work went into saving the museum and bringing it back. Now that we’ve saved the collections and we’re in a better position, we’ve got an opportunity to go to the next level, which is ultimately to re-display, reinterpret and re-evaluate everything. I’m starting to get to know the building itself, it won’t be long before I know it like the back of my hand and then we can hopefully start to bring out the beauty of the building once again and organise lots of activities and

events and make the museum the beating heart of the community, as it always has been - it’s a case of restarting after the

challenges of the flooding and of course Covid.

These things will take time, particularly in the current climate, but there are things we can do quite quickly. We want to be a warm space, we’re not an official warm space but we want to be able to offer people the opportunity to come in and get involved. We want to offer the community the opportunity to volunteer with us and come and help us with the collections. We have a little team of volunteers and expanding that will help us to reinvigorate the collection management and find those community links. Also, education - the schools' curriculum has changed for Wales, there’s a really big opportunity for us to engage with local schools

and bring heritage and a sense of place to life.

If people would like to get involved and volunteer and if local schools would like to get in touch, the first port of call would

be to come into the building and speak to us or to send us an email - the address is:

museum@pontypriddtowncouncil.gov.uk or give us a call on 01443 490740 .

Soroptimists International Donate Chain of Office

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 11:06:55 GMT

Soroptimists international is a world-wide network of women who work together to Educate, Empower and Enable women world- wide to achieve their potential and strive for peace.

The Pontypridd branch has been in existence for 60 years and has supported local and international charities extensively during that time, providing support for Women’s Aid, the local food bank, the Mayor’s Appeal and many others. Internationally, the most recent support was given to funding Bangla Cymru’s hospital in Chittagong and in enabling a woman health worker to undertake outreach work with families and children in the surrounding community.

It is with great sadness that the group has decided to disband due to a lack of new members and the age profile of existing members, but we are very pleased that our chain of office now has a safe home in Pontypridd Museum so that the efforts, contributions and aspirations of several generations of women from the area can be remembered and celebrated.

Volunteer Week 2021

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Thu, 27 May 2021 14:42:17 GMT

Click the links below the poster to join us!

Voices from the Past 5

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:19:42 GMT

This week our trusty Assistant Curator dives into the story of Miss Gladys Cuff a local teacher from Pontypridd....

St. David's Day at an unidentified Pontypridd primary school

Miss Gladys Cuff, Pontypridd teacher - The happiest days of your life?

Historically, it’s long been said that Wales’ main exports have been coal, water and teachers. Teaching was one of the few professional occupations readily open to women in Wales for much of the 20th century, and one which was traditionally held in high esteem. By 1921, 74% of teachers in Welsh elementary schools were women. This blog is based on the recollections of one woman teacher – Gladys Cuff of Trallwn - whose story reflects experiences held in common with many other gifted young women of her time.

Gladys was born in 1906. Her father was a miner and the family lived in Bonvilston Road. She attended the local schools in Trallwn and showed promise in her work. Unlike many of her friends, she didn’t go into domestic service at 14 but stayed on at secondary school. He father and mother encouraged and were able to support her ambition to become a teacher. Not that Gladys’ home life was easy by any means. Her mother was often ill and Gladys was expected to do a large part of the cooking and cleaning around the home. She also kept an eye on her younger brother, Willie, to see he didn’t get into mischief or danger. This was much easier said than done as Willie was a bit of a handful. At the age of 3 he wandered off and was eventually found sitting on the canal bank with his feet dangling in the lock! After that, Gladys took Willie to and from school with her every day.

When she left school, Gladys secured a place at teacher training college, not in Barry where many local women went, but at Bedford College. Her memories of this time show how thorough and intense her training was. There was practical work with class groups of 30 children. If she worked the morning shift, she began her day at 8am by washing the children and dressing them in school overalls. The children then had breakfast served by 9 o’clock. After that, each student was given a group of children to teach until lunchtime, when they washed the children’s hands and supervised their meal. Afterwards children were allowed to nap for one hour. If the student teacher was on the afternoon shift too, the teaching schedule was repeated until the mothers came to fetch the youngsters at about 4.30pm. In the evening the students would go home and change out of their teaching overalls, and come back for lectures on subjects such as education theory and psychology. From Bedford, Gladys moved on to study at a college in north London, from where she visited schools in the community. It was interesting to hear Gladys say that visually impaired children and those with other disabilities were brought to the college and taught in demonstration lessons for the students.

When Gladys finished her training she felt well-equipped to face whatever her chosen profession could put in front of her. She secured her first teaching post in Yorkshire. But when she got there it wasn’t the orderly, manageable, class of 25-30 she’d been used to in training – her first class was 60 kids! It was a rude awakening to the realities of teaching in the 1920s. During Gladys’ first year teaching her mother died, but Gladys was unable to find a teaching post in Pontypridd to come back to.

She stayed in Yorkshire for 7 years, immersing herself in the community by joining the local operatic and choral societies – Gladys had always been musical, and was Bonvilston Road Church organist from the age of 12 until starting college. Eventually a teaching post came up at Hawthorn School and Gladys was able to return to Pontypridd. She was there 4 years, by which time a new school had been built at Glantaf. She joined the staff there and stayed until she retired.

Graig Station - it closed to passenger traffic in 1930

A seaside-bound Sunday school group gathered at the bottom of the Graig hill

Kids in fancy dress at a Taff Vale Park carnival

Those who failed to find work locally looked further afield. Gladys recalled a number of her friends left Pontypridd in the 1930s, for London, Slough or the Midlands. Some found work in domestic service, or maybe in factories. Many of them married whilst away and never came back. For women of Gladys' generation a teaching career meant they could never marry - if a woman teacher married she was expected, and often forced (a marriage bar for women teachers was formally introduced by Glamorgan Education Authority in 1922), to give up her job and care for the family home. Alongside other unmarried friends who returned to Pontypridd to become teachers Gladys formed a close-knit group. They socialised and went on holiday together, both in the UK and abroad, giving her a fund of happy memories.

Our schooldays are supposed to be the happiest days of our lives. I'm sure that's a moot point, dependent on personal experience - each of us could relate the highs and lows of the time we spent in formal education. But one thing is certain, a good teacher can go a long way to making these years tolerable and, yes, even enjoyable - and Wales has long been the training ground for some excellent, dedicated, teachers.

Glantaff School, Rhydyfelin, staff photograph c1955

Voices from the Past 4

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Mon, 01 Jun 2020 11:57:38 GMT

In the fourth installment of our blog looking at the Museum's oral history collection, Assistant Curator Dave Gwyer takes a look at local identities through the lives of three women from Phillip Street on the Graig, Pontypridd.

A sense of place

In an earlier blog post in this series I wrote about the strong sense of local identity forged in the South Wales Valleys. This piece emphasises that point. It’s based on the taped reminiscences of three women who were brought up in Phillip Street on the Graig, Pontypridd. The interview was recorded in 1989, and has taken a good deal of unravelling as it was conducted with all three simultaneously! What shines through is their emotional attachment to the tight-knit community forged on the Graig.

The Graig is one of the oldest districts of Pontypridd, and has always been a distinct place within the larger settlement. It straddles the steep hillsides at the southern end of town, and is contained by the railway line from Merthyr to Cardiff which opened in 1840. The old parish road to Llantrisant winds its way steeply uphill at this point, and the oldest houses on the Graig originally clustered alongside it. The women recalled that the first name for area was Llanganna, a name you'll find on the 1875 Ordnance Survey map. I seem to recall reading that this name derives from that of the place of origin of an old woman who was one of the district's early settlers - Llanganna is in the Vale of Glamorgan, near Bridgend.

Some of the earliest houses here were constructed in the 1840s, and many of them were 3 storey buildings, often occupied by several generations of the same family. Businesses and industry also concentrated here to be close to the railway. As the Graig grew, and more houses were squeezed into a limited amount of space, the street pattern became a warren of closes and alleys. The population continued to increase and more terraces were built, clinging precariously to the steep hillsides overlooking the town. Pubs abounded and most streets had their own 'corner shop'.

Coal mines such as the Newbridge Colliery (1845), and the Pontypridd Colliery (later Maritime Colliery), opened nearby in the Gelliwion Valley providing local employment. All this made the Graig a bustling, vibrant, place which soon fostered a well-developed sense of community.

1900 O.S. map of the Graig

Time and again, throughout their joint interview, Edna, Thelma and Ivy returned to this shared sense of place, family and friends. In fact, they described their relationship as being like family. Whenever they got back together they were comfortable in each other's presence, and their fund of shared memories came tumbling out. Their childhoods were not wealthy in any material way, but their lives were enriched by the love, comfort and security of a happy upbringing. They described Phillip Street as a rough and ready nursery, but the best place you could ever grow up in for comedy. Street parties were common - not only to mark great national celebrations but as a matter of course. All the houses in their street would put a penny a week into a fund to pay for a regular get together. Jelly and fruit never tasted so sweet. A neighbour who was the first in the street to have a radiogram placed it in their open front window and, if it was a nice summer's night, the dancing went on into the early hours. The kids were allowed to stay up too.

Traditionally, the festivities were topped-off by a punch-up. During the 1840s the Graig attracted a large number of Irish settlers escaping famine in their own country. Two of their descendents were the most regular combatants - 'Little' Mahoney and Paddy O'Brien. After a few pints, Mahoney would roll-up his sleeves and challenge all-comers, 'Who wants a bloody fight then?' Paddy O'Brien was the most likely to take up his offer. At around 5 feet 6 inches, neither of them could be described as a heavyweight contender, and the fisticuffs always ended without malice. In fact, should anything happen to one or the other, or their families, they'd be the first in the queue to help in any way they could. This was true of most families on the Graig, who were always there for each other when times were hard.

Children playing outside the Maritime pit c1930

The threat of unemployment was a constant during the 1930s. A drop-in centre called the 'Bomb and Dagger' offered some respite for the unemployed. It contained a shoe repair workshop, and even a dancehall where the daily grind of existence could be forgotten briefly on a Saturday. Local jazz bands like the 'Foreign Legion' also lifted the locals' spirits.

Workhouse building decorated for George V's Silver Jubilee 1935

Edna, Thelma and Ivy stressed that the infirmary housed some excellent medical facilities, including an outstanding maternity unit and children's ward. But its link with the Workhouse was a stigma hard to overcome. In the 1960s, when the Workhouse building was demolished and the brand new Dewi Sant Hospital built on its site, this bleak reputation lingered. The town's older residents were always reluctant to enter the building, fearful they would never emerge.

Wheatsheaf Pub, Graig c1970

As the 20th century progressed the Graig gradually declined as a commercial centre, but it was after the 1960s that the greatest changes occurred. The Maritime Colliery closed in 1961, and its site was later cleared and landscaped to make way for a small industrial estate. Asked about the greatest changes they'd seen on the Graig, Edna, Thelma and Ivy lamented the demolition of the complex of streets and narrow passageways around the Wheatsheaf pub at the bottom of the Graig in the 1970s and 1980s. They felt this had destroyed some of the unique character of the place.

The other trend they'd observed was the gradual loss of old established families, to be replaced by newcomers who tended to move on after a short time. This trend has continued in the years since the women were interviewed. In 1931 the population of the Graig was around 7,000.

Today, it is less than half that, and many of the remaining terraced houses are let to the local student population attending the University of South Wales at Treforest.

David Gwyer (Assistant Curator)

Aerial view of the Griag, 1936

Pontypridd 2120

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Thu, 28 May 2020 11:19:17 GMT

As well as working on our oral history project and other things, the Museum staff, local artists and community participants have been working on something new, our first ever online exhibition! We hope you enjoy it and find something in it to reflect on...

Before the start of 2020, the Museum team had been thinking a lot about how to mark the start of this new decade, dubbed by many as the Decade of Change. With this being such a lynchpin moment in the history of humanity, in terms of the climate crisis, technological advances, and many other aspects of our lives forecast to evolve in the coming years, we wanted to mark this with a vision for the far off future, Pontypridd 2120. Little did we know however, how much and how quickly things would change in 2020!

With the Coronavirus pandemic following hot on the heels of the flooding in February, it was clear that we would have to adapt our exhibitions programme. What started off as the idea for our main exhibition, was then planned as a scaled-down physical exhibition once flood recovery was complete. then with lockdown coming into force, we had to rethink this entirely and started down the route of an online display.

Now we are finally launching the finished result! It's the product of artist-led community workshops (held just in time before lockdown at Parc Lewis and Maesycoed Primary Schools), staff research and lots of technical wizardry, we hope you find it interesting and thought-provoking, and can get involved in the conversation through our social media on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .

Enter Exhibition

Voices from the Past Part 3

morwenna.lewis@pontypriddmuseum.org.uk (Pontypridd Museum) — Tue, 19 May 2020 11:18:06 GMT

In the third installment of our blog looking at the Museum's oral history collection, Assistant Curator Dave Gwyer takes a look at the life local man Peter Jones of Barry Road, Pwllgwaun.

In compiling the first 2 parts of this blog, I’ve been conscious that, so far, the ratio of women to men written about is 4 to 1. This isn’t deliberate bias. In fact, it faithfully reflects the overall make-up of the collection of taped interviews conducted with elderly Pontypridd residents at the end of the 1980s. Why is this? Was it that the women of that generation lived noticeably longer than the men? Or are women just more naturally chatty and willing to talk about themselves? Surely not! Whatever the reasons, this piece focuses on the story of one man who was happy to talk - Peter Jones, who was born in 1907.

Peter was the youngest of 4 brothers and lived most of his life in Barry Road, Pwllgwaun. He had no memories of his father, Samuel, who was hit by a train and killed while walking along the railway line to work at the Great Western Colliery – it was a winter’s morning and a thick, enveloping, fog muffled the sound of the approaching engine. Peter was only 2, and his mother was left with the 4 boys to bring up. Each of them was expected to begin earning a living as soon as possible. One of the boys joined the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at the outbreak of the First World War. Peter had a clear recollection of holding his mother’s hand as a youngster, and hearing his brother telling his mum, ‘I won’t be back.’ His premonition proved accurate, leaving just the 3 brothers.

Peter never enjoyed school and was glad to leave at 14, going straight to work at Pwllgwaun Colliery – ‘Dan’s Muck Hole’, where he stayed until 1946. His first wage was 14 shillings and 6 pence for a 6 day week. The pit was where Pontypridd Rugby Club’s ground now stands, and was once owned by the eponymous Dan Thomas – a bare-knuckle mountain fighter who eventually found religion and became a highly-respected member of the community, often invited to lay the foundation stone of chapels under construction.

Conditions at the pit were horrible. The walk in meant wading knee-deep in water, and the colliery workings ran for 1½ miles under the hillside. The coal seam was only 2 foot 6 inches high, and working at the face involved lying on your side while hacking at the coal with a miner’s pick called a mandril.

By 1930 Peter wanted something better, and trained as a fireman (or colliery deputy) at the Treforest School of Mines. He qualified, but by 1946 he was suffering from pneumoconiosis, a lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to breathing in coal dust. He decided to leave the pit before working there killed him.

At the start of World War 2 one of his brothers, Fred, also left mining to become a stoker in the Royal Navy. He earned an extra shilling a week which he was able to send home to their mother. At the end of the war Fred returned to work at the Ty Mawr Colliery in Hopkinstown, and was eventually diagnosed with silicosis, an even more serious stage of lung disease.

Pwllgwaun Colliery

Underground at the coal face

Pwllgwaun Coal Dram

The resiliance, enterprise and sheer guts of people like Peter and Fred is truly astonishing. From virtually nothing they fashioned a future. Thousands of other Valley folk did the same. They probably saw themselves as ordinary people, just trying to make a living. Peter never married, as he cared for his mum until her death. Before she passed away they moved in with his brother Fred, to live in that first bungalow built on the Maesycoed hillside. It was where Peter spent the rest of his life.

Upper Boat Power Station

Voices from the Past Part 2

Fri, 01 May 2020 13:00:18 GMT

In the second installment of our blog looking at the Museum's oral history collection, Assistant Curator Dave Gwyer turns his attention to the nearby village of Cilfynydd, reflecting on the theme of belonging, through the stories of two women who became pillars of their community.

The first edition of this blog, based on interviews with elderly Pontypridd residents recorded during the late 1980s, featured people from the southern end of town – Graig, Treforest and Hawthorn. With this second instalment I redress the balance, and look north to Cilfynydd.

I've always been fascinated by how the people of the Valleys have such a distinctive sense of place and hierarchical scale of identity. They may not be unique in this, but the trait is certainly developed into a fine art here. The seemingly simple question, 'where do you come from?' will draw a range of replies depending on the questioner and audience. For those unfamiliar with the niceties of local geography, someone might be described as a 'Ponty boy or girl'. To those in the know, the individual village within the town will have much more resonance and meaning. To outsiders the boundaries of each of these places are invisible, but to the locals they are as obvious as controlled border crossings. You're brought up with it.

I still remember my primary school sports days in the Rhondda, where the five local schools based within less than two miles of each other went head to head in bitter rivalry. I still get a glow of satisfaction out of the fact that for the four years I was there, Ton Pentre Primary came top of the pile! Later, and across one of those invisible borders, I recall the traditional Boxing Day rugby match, between Treorchy and Treherbert, was less about a spot of fresh air after the excesses of Christmas, than a way of settling inter-village grievances. It always drew an impressive crowd, and more often than not descended into a mass brawl - the score was calculated by the number of those sent off.

This extended preamble, and meditation on local identity, is by way of saying that I believe it's the very fact that these Valley communities were built from nothing in such a short time that gives them their special sense of place. When nearly everyone is an outsider you need to pull together to make things work.

Cilfynydd is a case in point. It grew as an archetypal pit village, based around the Albion Colliery which started producing coal in 1887. As late as the 1870s the district’s population was only around 100 - by 1900 it was more than 3,000. The incomers arrived from other parts of Wales, but also from further afield where their lives had been very different.

They included Mrs Humphries, who was born in Bristol in 1892. By special dispensation, she'd left school at 11 and spent 3 years as companion to a Miss Dobbie. She remembered this time fondly. Miss Dobbie's brother was a young lieutenant, William, who was friendly with David Churchill, a cousin of Winston Churchill. Whilst on leave William and David often stayed with Miss Dobbie at her cottage in the West Country. After a long and distinguished military career, General William Dobbie became governor of Malta when it came under siege during the Second World War. Mrs Humphries stayed in touch with the Dobbie family until General Dobbie's death in 1964.

What changed her life forever was the fact that her father lost his job in 1906. The lure of work and greater prosperity convinced him to uproot his family of 7 to the booming South Wales coalfield. They travelled by boat from Hotwells in Bristol and landed in Cardiff, from where they transferred by tram and train to Pontypridd, and eventually to Cilfynydd. In a Cardiff tearoom the family drew attention from the locals. 'My word,' one remarked, 'you've got some rosy-cheeked, fine-looking, children. Where are you going?' Her father replied, 'I'm going to work in the pit, so I'm taking them to a place called Cilfynydd.' 'Oh,' the stranger said,' they won't have faces like that in 6 months time.' 'Ah, that's where you're wrong,' her father came back, 'God's air is as good on the mountains as it is in the country.' Despite his positivity, you can't help wondering about his family's feelings as they travelled to make their new home in Cilfynydd. But, like so many others, they adapted to life there, and became part of the thriving, youthful, community.

Mrs Humphries found work as a live-in nanny in Cardiff, but when the First World War broke out she returned to Cilfynydd, working as a conductress on the tramcars, just like Gertie Williams from Treforest who featured in the first of these blogs (Gertie remembered Mrs Humphries well, and was very pleased to hear she was still alive). Mrs Humphries married and spent the rest of her life in Cilfynydd, becoming a pillar of the community, taking a job at the doctor's surgery, joining the St.John's Ambulance Brigade and the Royal British Legion, where she was the local branch chair and standard bearer for 37 years. As she got older she joined the local pensioners group, organising events and trips for its members. Looking back on her life she reminisced...'You see, I enjoyed outside life...my life has been a full life all the time. Well, here I am retired now (at 95!). I still go to the old age and I'm still going to do all I can while I can, until my time is over. And then, like my father used to say, "death is only a train journey, someone is getting off at every platform, and there's always someone there to meet you".'

Mrs Humphries arrived in Cilfynydd as an outsider, but she soon became part of the fabric of the village, as did so many others who came together there at the start of the 20th century.

People like Miss Christine Blizzard. Schools are vital building blocks of any community, especially one being set up from scratch. Miss Blizzard was born in Cilfynydd at the end of the 19th century. She passed a scholarship to attend the grammar school and then went to Barry Teacher Training College, before returning to the village as a certificated teacher to take up a post in Cilfynydd Primary School after World War 1. At the time the school had over 300 pupils, and Miss Blizzard had a class of 53.

Discipline was strict and learning was by rote. She remained a teacher throughout her working life. That she never married is a reminder that in those days women teachers were expected to be single - if you married you gave up your job. Through her class passed hundreds of little boys and girls, including Merlyn Rees, Labour Home Secretary between 1976 and 1979, as well as the two world-class opera singers who were both born in William Street - Sir Geraint Evans and Stuart Burrows.

At the time Cilfynydd was very much a self-contained community. A trip to Pontypridd was a special outing, but most of life's necessities, and some luxuries, were available on your doorstep. Miss Blizzard recalled Richard Street as an elongated Aladdin's Cave of shopping treats, including 3 drapery shops whose clientele reflected which chapel they attended - Welsh or English Wesleyan, or Presbyterian - giving a whole new meaning to religious predestination!

Whatever their denomination, one of the things many of the newly arrived settlers wanted most was their own place of worship, which is why Cilfynydd had so many chapels and churches. Miss Blizzard attended chapel happily three times on a Sunday and one week night service too, although she recalled her younger brother was less enthusiastic each Sunday, as any sort of play on the Sabbath was frowned on.

Central to the life of the village was the pit, and both Miss Blizzard's father and brother were employed at the Albion Colliery. Her father managed all the coal and waste traffic as it came to the surface, what was called 'Boss on top'. He was a stickler for punctuality with his workforce. One day an Irish surface worker turned up half an hour late, and was asked sternly where he'd been. In thick Irish brogue he replied, 'Well you see boss, it was like this...my 2 sisters are away, so I had to get up and call meself!'

The Irish were just one ingredient in the Cilfynydd melting pot. People came from far and wide and built a community which survived the trauma of the Albion Colliery explosion of 1894, when 290 men and boys died. The pit finally closed in 1966, and the local high school now stands on its site. The mining memorial there reminds us not only of the sacrifice of the 290, but also of the courage, strength and perseverance of all those who've contributed to the story of Cilfynydd.

Voices From the Past

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 12:09:53 GMT

One of the projects the Museum staff and volunteers are working on during lockdown is digitising and transcribing our vast collection of oral history interviews, recorded in the late 1980's and early 1990's. Fortunately, one of the interviewers stuck around as well!

Here our Assistant Curator Dave Gwyer recounts the original project he worked on and reveals some fascinating anecdotes that he's rediscovered...

In November 1987 I joined a government-funded job creation scheme, based at the newly-opened Pontypridd Historical and Cultural Centre – now Pontypridd Museum. There were six of us at the start and part of our work was to find and interview some of the town’s older residents, recording their memories for posterity.

None of us had ever done any oral history before and we made all the basic mistakes, from forgetting to switch on the tape recorder, to failing to simply shut up and just let the interviewees speak for themselves. But we eventually put together a collection of rough and ready recordings which were supposed to be transcribed via the flickering green and black screen of the one Amstrad 8256 PCW we shared. Not all of them were finished, and over recent weeks in lockdown I’ve been revisiting the tapes (played on the original 1987 Philips cassette recorder!), and finally getting around to transcribing them.

It’s a slightly surreal and disturbing experience listening to your own voice from half a lifetime ago. Listening to the voices of the interviewees has been a pleasure though, albeit tinged with sadness when it dawns on you that they’ve all gone now, their voices echoing down the years, reminding us of the part that each of them played in the town’s story.

Many of the people interviewed were in their late 80s at the time. Stop to think about that. They saw and experienced Pontypridd before the First World War, when the town was booming and in its Edwardian heyday. They lived through the polar opposite of that, struggling through the Depression of the ‘20s and ’30s with its strikes, unemployment, and soup kitchens. You can read about all this in countless history books, but here are the people who lived through it and came out the other side unbowed.

People like Gertie Williams (née Britton) who was born in 1900, left school at 14, and was put into service because her mother couldn’t afford further education. Each day she'd walk from Treforest to the top of Berw Road by 8am to spend her day cleaning for just 1 shilling 6 pence per week (7 new pence).

For women like Gertie, the First World War opened up opportunities. With so many men away fighting, some of the jobs they did became available to women. At 17, Gertie went to Glyntaff tramcar depot and asked the superintendent, ‘I’ve come for a job sir, I want to be a conductress like my friend .’ The superintendent had his doubts because Gertie was so small, but her enthusiasm won him over.

Looking back, she recalled the 3 years she spent on the ‘cars’ as the happiest time of her working life, and the increased wages she brought home meant her mother ‘thought she was in wonderland.’ She even met her future husband on her trams, a young collier boy who worked at the Great Western pit on his way to brass band rehearsals.

Other memories remind you that Pontypridd is not an old town and take you back to when parts of it were still largely rural. Mrs Pugh from Hawthorn, who lost her sight in her 70s, recalled the farms which dotted the landscape from Upper Boat to Hawthorn, with the names of each of the families associated with them.

She lived through the Depression when her husband was out of work for long periods and the family had to exist on unemployment benefit of 1 pound 6 shillings a week (20 shillings to a pound and a shilling is 5 new pence). She also provided an intriguing snippet which needs following up post-lockdown.

Back in 1989 she mentions a story published in the Pontypridd Observer, in which a women from Duffryn Avenue, Rhydyfelin, called Mrs Williams, allowed the burgeoning Greggs bakery chain (originally based in Newcastle upon Tyne) to use her personal recipe for Welsh cakes. Greggs has expanded massively since the late 1980s and now distributes Welsh cakes nationwide from its factory at Treforest Estate. It would be wonderful to think they are still made to this local recipe.

Whatever hardships the decade brought, some tales from the 1920s can still raise a smile. Maldwyn Davies lived on the Graig. He loved sport and talked at length about the town's sporting history, particularly as it related to Taff Vale Park. Today this simple playing field, sandwiched between the river Taff and Parc Lewis School in Treforest, shows few signs that for the first 30 years of the 20th century it was one of the most important sporting arenas in Wales.

During that time the most famous event held there was the Welsh Powderhall Sprint, a professional race named after the stadium in Edinburgh where the original Scottish Powderhall was run. From 1903 to 1929 (after this a rival Powderhall event set up in Caerphilly for five years) it attracted the best athletes from Britain and around the world - runners such as the American Charles Holway, who won in 1909. Holway was one of the few men to defeat the legendary Australian world record holder, Jack Donaldson, the 'Blue Streak'.

Maldwyn kept in touch with Holway for many years, even securing a substitute Powderhall winner's gold medal to replace the one Holway had lost during the Depression. Maldwyn's proudest moment came in 1929 when his brother Bryn won the Powderhall. The nationwide fame of the race meant that Bryn's photograph was soon plastered over railway siding billboards as far afield as London, with the reassuring message for the masses that he trained on Horlicks!

While the prestige of winning the Welsh Powderhall meant that those in with a chance competed fairly, others lower down the pecking order were not above a spot of skulduggery to fleece the bookies. Some, who were good enough to win a heat, might put lead weights in their running shoes, slowing them enough for the next best runner to win - having already bet that man themselves. Maldwyn recalled that during the '20s, organised race gangs would descend on Treforest for the big sporting meets. They'd require a 'voluntary' contribution from the field bookies as protection from any trouble (i.e. from them!). Those who refused to pay up might not be seen for a spell afterwards, while they became better acquainted with hospital food.

The images he conjured brought to mind a scenario pitched somewhere between the menace of Graham Green's 'Brighton Rock', and the larger than life, loveable, characters of Damon Runyon's New York-set short stories, but with the accents more Broadway, Treforest than Broadway, Manhattan.

These snapshot memories add immeasurably to the colour and texture of Pontypridd's history. They remind us that we all have a story to tell and that we all belong to a greater community. In these troubled days that's a hopeful thought to hang on to. If you read this and think you can expand on these or any other local stories, we'd certainly welcome your contribution. You never know, perhaps we'll be interviewing you one of these days!

Museum Flooding

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 08:55:08 GMT

During the unprecedented flooding in Pontypridd a couple of weekends ago, the Museum unfortunately ended up on the wrong side of the waterline.

Two weeks into the cleanup, and our priority objects are safely offsite, community store rooms have been cleared out and we have filled a whole five skips of material (collection and otherwise) which was unsalvageable.

We are now undertaking arguably one of the biggest tasks which is emptying our two basement object stores of material that is vulnerable to the spike in humidity which we are now seeing. This is primarily organic material such as paper, textiles, wood and leather, for example. In order to keep track of this huge volume of material on the move, documentation is being done which will help us locate the right material when the time comes to bring it back onsite.

For us to do this we are having to clear storage space on the ground floor, another sizeable job! This is of course resulting in ongoing closure of the Museum as the only dry and sufficiently large space we have to decant to is the Museum ground floor (see left, featuring three of our dedicated volunteers!). Please bear with us while we undertake this work, we are hoping for the Museum ground and first floors to be open in the next few weeks.

In the meantime, take a look at our Facebook and Twitter posts from the past couple of weeks for more photos and information.

Lastly, thank you so so much to all those who have offered us help with cleaning, clearning, conservation, documentation, and advice and support, it is very much appreciated.

Davey's Work Experience Placement

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 13:48:07 GMT

For work experience, I chose the Pontypridd Museum adjacent to the Old Bridge in Pontypridd. While most other students in my school chose rugby or some arbitrary excuse to stay in school, I felt the need to start to branch out and broaden my horizons. I thought to myself “Well, you’re not going to stay in school forever now, are you?” and so I took an opportunity to both learn about a field of work that may interest me and about my local area. It was an easy choice too, Pontypridd is only a bus fare away from Porth, and the decision was a quick and easy one.

As to what I got up to during my work experience, it was a range of different and minor tasks that allowed me, over the course of five days, to learn about how museums run and how they maintain a pristine environment. Though Pontypridd Museum is a small organisation, it does not retract upon the premium guidance I was given. How grateful I am that I chose the museum over something such as being an assistant to a teacher or some other such ploy, to do “work experience” in the same fashion that walking down the street is “hiking”.

Overall, my experience was a positive one, as you could guess. There was no greater feeling for me than getting all my daily objectives done and receiving a feeling of satisfaction as I walked out the entrance doors - knowing I did a job well done.

I cannot deny the fact that I needed help, but I know that I had never stepped foot into a job before, so to come out feeling confident and grateful should tell you that I at least put in time and effort to not let down my supervisors, Morwenna and Alex. I am also pleased that I chose them for my placement, as they were supportive and allowed me to learn at my own pace while not stalling themselves. They gave me a gentle push which set upon my way into giving passion into my placement. Without them, my experience would’ve gone a lot differently.

One of the paintings I helped to mount, Coedpenmaen Chapel by Esther Grainger

The first day of my experience involved me doing usual work. Walking around and familiarising myself with the environment was the focal point of the entire placement, with it being punctuated by winding the grandfather clocks, a planetarium session and a budget calculation task. I ended the day with an online training task which outlined handling museum objects, museum pests and methods of packing museum objects.

The second day of my experience involved me preparing items digitally, such as creating a poster for William Edwards’ 300th birthday and preparing the blog post that I’m currently writing. I also measured the light levels within the museum to see if there was light that would damage the artefacts. Overall, it was a good day, and I even helped to prepare a painting for mounting.

The third day of my experience involved me doing more manual work, replacing brackets on paintings, and helping drill holes into walls for mounting. I also had time to set out an entire labelling catalogue and write an editor’s note, as well as learn about how to handle museum objects – it was a busy day, and probably the best one of the week.

Another painting I helped to mount, Elaine Morgan by Roy Guy.

The fourth day was the exact opposite, however. It was pretty much just revising the catalogue I made yesterday and spending time transferring accessions register data to a collections management system. The entire staff knew the accessions register job was boring, and it didn’t help that the writer’s handwriting looked like it came out of a wood chipper, but learning about databases is important, so I pulled through. I ended the day by testing out a kids trail project made for the museum, and leaving for home tired and weary of that damned accessions register.

The fifth day is the day that I’m finishing this blog post. I just attended a Dementia Support group session, and had some lovely conversations with the attendees and played some games with them. Me and Morwenna showed them some handling objects which reminded them of their younger days, and it was nice to see them reminisce about their experiences. I ended up eating two bacon butties and a cupcake, and drinking a cup of tea and a cup of coffee, so all things considered, I enjoyed it.

Later I will help to digitise some photos and help move some objects around, so I’m not left to lounge about on my last day. It’s not often that I enjoy doing work, but since school is about as fulfilling as driving a tractor to Derbyshire, I’m going to say that I’m thrilled to have had this experience. I love being productive in a way that gives me more results than just “you’re smart, here’s a piece of paper that says you’re smart”, so I’m, as I said, thrilled.

In conclusion, if I had to choose going into work experience for a year, or school for a year, you can bet your dog that I’m choosing work experience. School is just boring and formulaic, like I’m some sort of ingredient to fit into a mould. This experience is one I’m going to remember fondly, and I hope the rest of my life will be as joyful as this experience.

Animals in the First World War

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Thu, 09 May 2019 10:59:38 GMT

Everyone knows of the heroic feats of the brave soldiers who fought on all sides during the First World War, but many don’t realise the extent to which animals played their part in the war effort.

Most are aware of the great horses of Classical Antiquity carrying men such as Alexander the Great into battle, the Native American horseback archers and the great cavalry charges of the Napoleonic Wars. In more recent times, with thanks to acclaimed books and movies such as ‘War Horse’, many people are now more aware of the vital role that horses played in the First World War. However, this is by far not the full story as throughout the First World War a large variety of other animals played their part, on and off the battlefields.

Although the First World War and its implementation of more advanced weaponry and tactics did see the decline of traditional cavalry charges, it did however see the introduction of many other animals into the theatre of war. As well as horses, now mules and even camels were used for the transportation of wounded soldiers and supplies to and from the front lines. The sheer scale of the First World War saw that traditional working horses and mules from back home, mostly from farms, we ‘recruited’ for use in the war. Some even had their very own recruitment officer who would visit local towns and cattle markets to recruit horses and mules for the war effort. Due to the vast number of young recruited soldiers who were inexperienced in the handling and care of horses, in 1915 the Blue Cross published ‘The Drivers’, Gunners’ and Mounted Soldiers’ Handbook to Management and Care of Horses and Harness’ to help the new recruits maintain better care of their new horses.

When the war began in 1914, the British Army had a mere 25,000 horses in its ranks. Within just two weeks 140,000 horses had been drafted. By the end of the Great War a total of over 8 million horses, mules and donkeys lost their lives serving for all sides of the conflict. Impressively, between August 1914 and December 1917 more than 1,850,000 horses we treated in British Veterinary hospitals with over 80% being successfully treated and returned to service.

The strength and reliability of horses, mules and donkeys was essential to the Armies of the Great War, as not only were they relied upon for transporting supplies and ammunition to the front lines, but also for carrying the wounded back to the safety of hospitals. Interestingly, a comparison between the use of horses during the First World War and the Waterloo Campaign during the Napoleonic Wars shows a vast difference between the amount of horses used for cavalry and the amount used for transporting artillery. For example, the British Army in 1918 had 87,557 horses transporting artillery and only 75,342 used for cavalry. Whereas in the Waterloo campaign, the French Armée du Nord had 12,000 horses for artillery and 25,000 for cavalry.

From these figures it is easy to see the change in the role of horses during the First World War. Roughly 100 years prior to the First World War under half as many horses were used for artillery as they were for cavalry. But by 1918 there were over 10,000 more horses used for artillery than cavalry. This shows the greater focus on artillery fire power than the traditional cavalry shock attacks from the past, due to the technological advancements the war had established and how this led to the change in role of the horses of war

Horses, mules and donkeys were not the only mode of transport during the First World War however. In the Eastern theatres of the Middle East even camels were used in the transportation of wounded soldiers to safety from the front lines as well as carrying supplies such as food, water and ammunition. This saw the formation of the Imperial Camel Corps in January 1916, which saw a reorganisation and expansion by August 1916, due to the Imperial Camel Corps becoming more involved in traditional combat roles as well as just long-range patrol work. By December of 1916, the role of the Imperial Camel Corps became so significant that they ceased to be a series of independent companies and were reorganised into camel battalions

The war not only saw heroics from four legged friends but also the incredible resilience of birds. When dogs struggled to carry messages across the dangerous front pigeons were called upon to carry messages containing vital communications between troops. This made them particularly important targets for the enemy to attempt to shoot and disrupt communications. Many pigeons got injured while carrying messages yet continued on their journey to delivery and helped save many lives. One such hero pigeon, known as Cher Ami, delivered a message from an encircled battalion, despite serious injuries in October 1918. After getting shot, she managed to take flight once more and successfully deliver the message saving the lives of 194 soldiers. Upon her return it was discovered that Cher Ami had been shot through the breast, had one leg hanging on by a tendon and was blind in one eye, an extremely heroic feat by such a small innocent creature.

Other traditional household pets such as cats were very important for the war as they would kill rats and other vermin in the trenches helping to prevent the spread of disease. It is estimated that more than 500,000 cats served in the trenches and aboard Naval vessels. Some cats, as well as dogs, were used as mascots for battalions and helped to keep morale up.

These are some examples of the great contributions that animals of all shapes and sizes made in the First World War. It wasn’t their war to fight but nonetheless they played their parts exceptionally and many gave their lives just as the soldiers did. Today, purple poppies are the symbol of Remembrance for the brave animals who took part in the First World War and it is great to see them honoured in this way.

Pontypridd’s Coastal Connections

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Sat, 12 May 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I recently spent the early May bank holiday walking with friends along the Welsh coastal path from Rhoose to Barry. We were blessed with exceptionally good weather and, as we approached Barry, we could see hundreds of parked cars across the causeway on Barry Island, their windscreens glinting in the sunshine. A queue of traffic lined up, bumper to bumper, waiting to cross to join them. It reminded me of the enduring popularity of the Welsh coastal resorts and of chapel Sunday school trips I’d made decades earlier when I’d competed with other children to be ‘first to see the sea’. It reminded me too that seaside towns like Barry Island and Porthcawl first grew as accessible playgrounds for the people of the South Wales Valleys, and they still flock there whenever the weather is favourable.

But the connections between the Valleys and the coastal fringe to their south go much deeper than this. Without the industry, particularly iron-making and coal mining, which came to dominate the Valleys in the 19th century, the history of the Welsh cities and towns along the Bristol Channel would be very different. Without the millions of tons of coal transported from the Valleys to the coast along purpose-built railways and shipped around the world, would three-quarters of the population of Wales live in the south and would Cardiff be the capital city of Wales? It’s fair to say that without the dictates of geology and geography, and the influence they’ve had on our history, we’d be looking at a very different Wales to the one we know today.

Pontypridd Museum’s current exhibition, entitled ‘Pontypridd’s Coastal Connections’, explores these fundamental factors and the effects they’ve had on transport, industry, leisure, social and natural history in Pontypridd, South Wales and further afield.

Some of the stories told are well known; others more quirky and obscure. For instance, did you know that some of the ships of the German High Seas Fleet scuttled at Scapa Flow in Orkney after World War I had their anchor chains manufactured by Brown Lenox of Pontypridd? Or that Francis Crawshay, who lived in Tŷ Crawshay (the original Georgian building at the heart of today’s University of South Wales in Treforest), actually owned Barry Island and frequently spent time there, sailing his steam yacht or shooting rabbits?

The exhibition shows how the people of the Valleys often looked to the coast to spend their leisure time. It takes account of how people moved into Valleys in waves of immigration during the boom years, creating distinctive communities and legacies. The flip side of this was emigration when times were hard, when many sought a better life in the New World. Finally, the display highlights how the natural world suffered during the process of industrialisation and how rivers like the Taff and Rhondda have been brought back from the brink of desolation to form thriving wildlife habitats once more, often through the work of dedicated individuals.

The exhibition runs until the end of July 2018. Come along and tell us about your experiences of these coastal connections.

Memories of Y Bwthyn workshop this Saturday

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Mon, 09 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT

Macmillan Cancer Support and Cwm Taf University Health Board are working together to transfer the services at Y Bwthyn in Pontypridd Cottage Hospital to a new, state-of-the-art palliative care unit within the grounds of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. A ‘History Wall’ is being created as a focal point for the new Unit to tell Y Bwthyn’s story, celebrating and sharing the rich history and landscape of the much loved service at Pontypridd Cottage hospital and the significant landmarks and events on its doorstep.

We want to hear from anyone who has a treasured memory or view to share of Y Bwthyn and will be running an art and writing workshop this Saturday April 14th, 2 – 4pm at Pontypridd Museum to gather words and images. The workshops will be supported by local artists David Mackie, Heather Parnell and Becky Adams and poet, Clare Potter.

If you feel you would like to contribute to the workshop we would be delighted. Equally, if you are able to share this information and encourage others who may have had a connection to Y Bwthyn to come along, we would appreciate it enormously. The event is free. No experience is needed. You can contact Heather Parnell on; 0779 5554515 for further information or email her at heather.w.parnell@gmail.com .

On this day – 4th March 1800

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT

118 years ago yesterday, Dr William Price was born. Here, our volunteer Gina explores more about the enigmatic physician.

4th of March 1800 – Dr William Price was born

William Price was a Welsh physician known for his support of Welsh nationalism and involvement with the Neo-Druidic religious movement. He became a fully qualified surgeon by the age of 21 and has been recognised as one of the most significant figures of 19th-century Wales.

What is William Price’s link to Pontypridd?

After training to become a doctor, Price returned to Wales to establish himself in the medical profession in Glyntaf. However, he only remained in the area for a few years before he moved to the newly industrialised Taff Valley, near Pontypridd. He was later recognised for his talent by his colleagues and was elected ‘Chief Surgeon’ at Brown Lenox Chainworks in Pontypridd. He continued in this position until 1871.

Price’s involvement with Welsh cultural activities lead to his interest in the Neo-Druidic movement. He joined a Neo-Druidic group called the Society of the Rocking Stone , that met at the Y Maen Chwyf stone circle in Pontypridd. By 1837 Price had become one of the groups leading members and worked to encourage the revival of Welsh culture as he feared that key aspects such the Welsh language were being extinguished by the spread the English language.

Price also tried to organise an Eisteddfod in Pontypridd in 1844, however it failed to draw much of a crowd.

Welsh Nationalism and Chartism

Price was a renowned Welsh nationalist. He gave a speech on Welsh history and literature at the 1834 Royal Eisteddfod and even attended the first Grand Eisteddfod of Llangollen in 1858. Lady Charlotte Guest, a family friend of Price’s, declared that his speech was “one of the most beautiful and eloquent speeches that was ever heard”. This resulted in Price being invited to undertake the role of judging the eisteddfod’s bardic competition.

His eccentric behaviour in his later years causes people to forget his other achievements, for example, Price was a significant figure in the local Chartist movement. This was an idea that was spreading throughout the country that supported the idea that all men should wield the right to vote, no matter their economic or social status. Many of the Chartists, especially those within industrial communities located in south Wales, took up arms to ready themselves for revolution against the government, and Price himself aided them in gaining such weaponry. This igniting the rebellion known as the ‘Newport Rising’ that sought to break the current governmental regimes. However, Price knew that the government would soon retaliate and that he would be punished for his involvement in the uprising, so he fled to France, disguised as a woman.

Druidism and Father of Cremation

William Price developed an infatuation with Druidism while in temporary political exile in France. Once he returned to Wales, he established himself as a Druid and founded a Druidic religious group that became relatively popular in the area. There is little information known about the nature of what Price would preach, however, his followers would often carry staffs engraved with figures and letters.

Price would often stage Druidic events, for example, in 1855 he led a parade of Ivorites , a friendly society that upheld a philosophy of Welsh nationalism, through the streets of Merthyr Tydfil . These events were often obscure as in the case of the Ivorites parade Price marched accompanied by a half-naked man who called himself Myrddin (a Welsh variation of Merlin ) and a goat.

His obsession with his new-found religion lead to the ceremony of cremation, which he described as committing the body to a ‘cleansing flame’. His first cremation was that of his child’s remains in 1884, despite the Cremation Act not being passed until 1902. After his death, Dr William Price’s remains were cremated in the first pre-arranged open-air cremation in modern British history that had over 20,000 spectators.

Beth’s Work Experience

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Fri, 23 Feb 2018 00:00:00 GMT

I decided to go to Pontypidd Museum to do my work experience at, because I believe that it would give me a good insight how a Museum is run. It had taken me hours to finally to get a work placement and I am glad that I decided to do here. So far I have learnt how time consuming and interesting looking up the family history of an object. On the Monday, it was fun finding out the links and connection of this family’s tree. They did not know who their grandparents and it did not even think that the people on the census was two different people. We first thought that it be the daughter but it was not the daughter but her brother. After, finding that fact it was just connecting the dots. Sadly, we do not know the whole story because we were not around then, but it leaves us so more questions than answers.

I have looked around the Museum and I find it good to let everyone know the history of a particular object or painting. Here at the Museum it has loads of objects that would interest all ages. They have more objects and paintings in the storage then out on display because they do not enough space to display everything. To beat that, they are able to change them each month. There is a sculptor, who died at 101, who made unique moving objects. I like how he has used electricity to help the objects to move and that they more of together by using different shapes. I have also found a couple of other paintings that I like. One of the paintings is a painting of a lady which is placed on the stairs next to a pipe organ. The second one I found is of the new and old bridge of Pontypridd.

The pipe organ is not old like the building but it is still one of the oldest object in the Museum. There is a harp here, which is rare because you do not normally see one. There is quite a few paintings of Pontypridd throughout the decades and the changes that has happened. I like the fact there is two grandfather’s clocks seated next to the organ. One of them is in the GMT time while the other one is thirteen minutes behind, the staff here at the museum has to wind them back every Monday and if they do not wind them up in time, they have to restart it by gently tapping the chime, so that it can start to swing back and forth.

I have enjoined my time here so far and would like to have the opportunity to come back a visit in the future and see what displays they have and what events they are hosting. This is a good Museum to do your work experience at if you are looking into a career to do with handing and cataloguing objects and paintings.

My work experience week at Pontypridd Museum

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Fri, 14 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT

I made the decision to go to Pontypridd Museum because I have always enjoyed going to museums. They were always so fun for me so when I saw it on the list of jobs I chose it straight away. It had been a long time since I had been to Pontypridd Museum so I was excited to go again. Lots of people were excited for their job placement as well.

When I got there my first job was to fill out a survey on what I liked and didn’t like. I had lots to say about what I enjoyed but I had next to nothing to say about what I didn’t like. I had to really think hard for something to write. After that I went to wind the grandfather clocks with Alex the Museum Assistant. That was tense because I was scared I might break them because the clocks were so old. After lunch I was given the laptop and had to put information from pictures on to a website called Historypin. My first day was quite busy.

On the second day Dave the assistant Curator gave me the store tour which was really interesting. I got to see all the things not on display. Then I had the task of re-writing and adding to some of the text panels. That was hard because I had to find new information on the exhibition and I wasn’t sure if it was true. Then after lunch I had to go around the museum and take pictures of 5 different exhibits and post them on the museum’s Twitter. I really enjoyed the second day because I got to see some of the museum I’d never seen before.

On Thursday I continued with the Historypin website. I made a new collection and put on some new pictures. This taught me more about reading between the lines as I had to work out detail about the picture from a small description. After that I helped one of the volunteers update the record books.

On my final day I started the day by putting the date and classification number on the back of some recently donated pictures of a local sweet factory. After that I finished the blog post which I am doing now. Over all I really enjoyed my time at Pontypridd Museum and would love to do it again. Now I know what it is like in a working environment and am prepared for the future. Thank you to everyone at Pontypridd Museum including the volunteers who helped me progress through the week. This has been the experience of a life time.

Uncle Will’s Diaries

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT

On 25th December 1916, Private William Jones from Hopkinstown, serving with the Royal Army Medical Corps in Egypt wrote; ‘CCS (Casualty Clearing Station) sports. Dai Rees won a few prizes, including the 100 yds and third in Marathon. Our team won the tug of war. On guard from 6 pm to 6 pm tomorrow.’

Pte Jones was one of over a million British troops that served in this often overshadowed theatre of conflict in North Africa. Whilst his Christmas Day entry, and many others like it, marks what seems to be a thoroughly enjoyable day, many other entries chime with modern day perceptions of the First War War. The unimaginable levels of human suffering that he saw working in the casualty clearing stations, the frustration of working in a hostile environment, the beaurocracy, the unreliable rationing system, and the boredom.

The Museum is lucky that a decscendant of Pte Jones has donated us these diaries, as although some of the entries are only a sentence long, put together they form a remarkable testimony of what it was like serving on the front line.

In 2017, to mark the penultimate year of the war, we will be posting a diary entry of Facebook for every day Pte Jones wrote, and publishing each month here on the Museum website. We hope you will join us in following William’s story, and help us remember him and so many others like him who played their part in that terrible conflict.

Edit: NB – The transcription of the diaries has been taken down verbatim, meaning that anything William Jones wrote, apart from any personal information, is reproduced in the social media posts. In a small number of entries, there is included what is now a pejorative term for a member of the travelling community, but for Pte Jones and his generation would have been an abbreviated nickname for their hosting countrymen of Egypt, which was not intended to be insulting. The decision has been taken to leave this term in, and for it to be taken in the context of the time. It is not our place to censor history, for that is where problems begin. It is preferable to have an open dialogue about the issues of the past in its true form.

First World War – Personal Perspectives

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Mon, 14 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Almost exactly one hundred years ago, on the 18th of November, 1916, the Battle of the Somme ended.

At its conclusion over 1,000,000 servicemen were dead, injured or missing, including almost 420,000 British and Colonial troops. To show for these losses, the British line had advanced just 6 miles in over 4 months fighting. These are mind-numbing figures. The suffering and grief they encapsulate are difficult to imagine, let alone come to terms with. How do you even begin to come to an understanding of loss on this scale? Perhaps the place to start is with the individual. Each casualty figure was someone’s son, someone’s father, brother, husband or sweetheart. We can relate to individual loss more readily because many of us know how it feels to lose someone close. We are familiar with the emotional turmoil through which the grieving process takes us – denial, anger, depression, before, if we are fortunate, coming to some sort of acceptance.

We should always bear this in mind when we talk about war losses. The rights and wrongs, the causes and results, of the First World War have been, and will be, discussed for many years. Amongst all the talk of geo-political manoeuvring, alliance building and military imperative we should never lose sight of the fact that at the heart of these discussions should be the suffering of the men and women who were killed and injured and their relatives whose lives were changed forever.

The present exhibition at Pontypridd Museum tries to put into focus some of the individual stories of local men who served in the First World War, using objects, photographs and documents which reflect their lives and experiences and, in some cases, their deaths.

Men like Albert Hinton of Middle Street, Trallwn, who served with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers at Salonika in northern Greece. This is a little-known theatre of conflict in the First World War but it cost the lives of over 10,000 British servicemen, including Albert Hinton. A heart-shaped cushion made by Albert while serving in Salonika is one of the poignant objects on display.

Or men like Alfred Harold Parfitt who joined the Royal Navy at the outbreak of the First World War and was only 19 when he died. But Alfred was not killed in action. He died when an accidental explosion destroyed his ship, H.M.S. Natal, whilst she lay at anchor off the north-east coast of Scotland on 30th December, 1915. He was amongst 421 on board who died that day.

If we take the time to learn about some of these individual stories it might help us realise more fully, what each one of those casualty figures truly represents.

The exhibition runs until 23rd December.

The Albion Colliery, 50 Years On

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Thu, 15 Sep 2016 00:00:00 GMT

September 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the closure of the Albion Colliery in Cilfynydd. Although two generations have grown up since then, and no trace of the pit remains, there are reminders of it throughout the village. The Albion cafe and the Albion flats bear its name, while the Albion Industrial Estate occupies land where the colliery once stood. This is only fitting because more than any other part of Pontypridd, Cilfynydd owes its existence to the local coal industry.

It grew up as an archetypal pit village built around the Albion Colliery which was sunk there in 1884. Before this there was no settlement of note, just a few scattered farms supporting a population of less than 100. Within a few years of coal production starting, that had all changed. By 1890 terraced houses clung to the valley hillsides running north-south in a series of parallel rows. The population had grown to over 3,000 and a school, several chapels, pubs and a workmen’s hall formed the building blocks of a tight-knit community.

But the Albion survives in the memory of more than just the local population. It is more widely remembered for the devastating explosion which took place there in 1894, a disaster which claimed the second worst loss of life in any British colliery accident; only the Senghenydd explosion of 1913 took a greater toll.

For 7 years after the colliery was opened, Cilfynydd flourished until disaster struck in June, 1894. Like many collieries in South Wales, the Albion’s coal produced large amounts of fire-damp, a highly inflammable gas. On Saturday, 23rd June, 1894 at around 3.50pm two loud explosions were heard at the surface of the colliery. Dust, debris and smoke rushed out of the 2 shafts and men at the surface were blown over. No one knew for sure how many men were underground at the time. It took until the inquest in July for a figure of 295 to emerge and only 5 of these survived.

Such a traumatic event could have killed the village but, with remarkable resilience, the people rebuilt their shattered lives and by September 1894 the pit was back in full working order producing nearly 45,000 tons of coal a month. It was to stay at the heart of the community until its closure in September 1966.

Pontypridd Museum has a working model of the Albion Colliery which was originally steam powered. It was made shortly after the disaster to raise funds for the widows and children who had lost their breadwinners. There is also a memorial book which contains the names of all those who were killed in the explosion. A small temporary exhibition on Cilfynydd and the Albion is on show throughout September, 2016.

The Albion Colliery site was finally cleared in the 1980s and in 1984, a new secondary school was built there. It is known as Pontypridd High School and a memorial there commemorates the victims of the Albion explosion.

Charles Byrd at 100

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Thu, 18 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT

Charles Byrd’s colourful, characterful and slightly crazy sculptures make you smile. You smile at their humour, the fun they embody and the sheer joy for life they express. He calls them his ‘magical machines’, and it is his imagination which gives them their magical, transformative power which brings out the wonder of the inner child in all of us. As we celebrate Charles Byrd’s 100th birthday in 2016, Pontypridd Museum is proud to house a small collection of these life-affirming works by one of the most gifted artists ever produced by the town.

Charles Byrd was born in Mound Road, Maesycoed, in 1916. He spent the first 10 years of his life in Pontypridd, a period which provided him with a storehouse of happy and vivid memories. In 1926 his family moved, first to Barry and subsequently to Cardiff, where Charles found work with the General Electric Company as a 14-year-old despatch clerk. In 1937 he joined the Bristol Aircraft Company as a fitter and during World War II he repaired Hurricane fighters and Blenheim bombers. He also saw military service in India, not returning to Cardiff until 1947.

At the age of 32 he first began to follow his interest in art, attending evening classes at Cardiff College of Art, and was so inspired that he took the incredibly bold decision to give up all other work and try to support himself as a professional artist, which he has been ever since.

His artistic inspiration came from his immediate surroundings – the Cardiff cityscape provided him with ample material. He painted the things and places which he knew best, with a keen eye for line and shape. In so doing his paintings became a valuable record of a specific period in Cardiff’s past. For instance, in the 1950s, he made many paintings of Tiger Bay little realising he was documenting an environment and community soon to disappear.

During the 1960s his personal painting style and technique embraced more abstract art forms and sculpture. In 1966 he made his first static constructions from wood, string, wire and other materials which led to his initial experiments with kinetic (moving) works in 1968. Since then his colourful and intriguing sculptures have been exhibited throughout Wales and the UK. Two of his constructions were purchased for the fine art collection of ‘Ripley’s Believe It Or Not Museum’ in the USA.

The scale of his works gradually increased and many of his larger pieces were shown at the Old Library in Cardiff, in what became known as ‘The Charles Byrd Museum of Magical Machines’. When the library closed most of the bigger constructions were put into storage awaiting a permanent home. In 2008, when the National Eisteddfod visited Cardiff, a retrospective exhibition brought together as many of his works as could be traced, rekindling interest and the ambition for them to be displayed together permanently. In this his centenary year, it is to be hoped that this ambition will be achieved sooner rather than later.

My Work Experience Week at Pontypridd Museum!

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Fri, 24 Jun 2016 00:00:00 GMT

My name is Cerys, for one week I am here at Pontypridd Museum for work experience! I’ve always had a passion for history and I thought it would be a great opportunity to come here. In school I am currently studying history (The American West) but in previous years I’ve studied both World War 1 and 2.

I started work experience with a tour of the museum! The displays are very interesting, my most favourite displays being ‘the man who never was’ which is about a corpse washed ashore in Southern Spain. Fake documents were passed to German Intelligence, as a result many lives were saved, and ‘World War 2 Air Raid Precautions’ this is a great display showing how rationing continued after 1945 and National identity cards were compulsory.

I have been given many tasks to complete over the course of the week at the museum. The first one being a shop budget. Catalogues were provided and I was able to choose items which would likely sell in the gift shop. I mostly chose World War 1 and 2 books as there are good displays throughout the museum about both wars.

My next task was to choose my top 5 exhibitions in the museum. After I had chosen them, I uploaded a picture and a short, detailed comment on each exhibition on the museums Twitter page.

On Tuesday I watched a short documentary on the town of Pontypridd, it was a very interesting, informative video. After I watched this documentary I looked around the museum to find an exhibit which I thought could be improved. After looking around, I chose the ‘music in Wales’ exhibit, as the display looked very crowded.

On Wednesday afternoon I helped do object marking. This was a great experience as I was able to see the objects up close, and touch them, which the general public cannot do.

On Thursday my next task was to do a History pin exercise. I uploaded pictures to the website, and this was very interesting and fun as the pictures showed the workhouse in the Graig, The Old Bridge and other aspects of Pontypridd which I would never have imagined being there. As this day was the 122nd anniversary of the Albion Colliery explosion in Cilfynydd, I watched a short video about the tragic events which occurred that day, 122 years ago.

On Friday I helped do light monitoring which was interesting; I would never think that sunlight or artificial lighting could affect historical objects. It turns out that light has a huge impact on the quality of an item, all museums must regularly check how much light is hitting objects in order to preserve them for as long as possible!

I also helped put entries into the accession register, which is a book used to record which items are brought into the museum and information about them. I came across some very interesting items, including a rationing book from after World War 2!

I have thoroughly enjoyed my week here at the museum, the members of staff are very helpful and the varieties of tasks set have all been interesting. I advise anyone who lives locally, to visit the museum as you will learn so much about the history of Pontypridd!

Museum Christmas Opening

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Just a quick note about our opening hours this festive holiday. We look forward to seeing you in 2016 when we’ll have some exciting plans for the year!

Work experience week at the museum

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 00:00:00 GMT

Last week Bethan came to do her work experience placement at Ponty Museum – here’s how she found it!

For the past five days, I have been carrying out my work experience placement at Pontypridd Museum, and it has been interesting to say the least. As a local who visits Ponty on a fairly regular basis, I was surprised at myself for never having been here before. I think it’s fair to say that a number of people my age are not even aware that this museum is here, which is a shame, since the amount of local history which can be taken from one visit is amazing. I thought myself fairly educated on the history of the Rhondda and surrounding areas, but a look around the gallery made me realise just how many stories I hadn’t been told.

When I arrived on Monday morning, I of course had to get a look around the museum to get an idea what was on display here before I started doing any work. I spent at least an hour walking around, following the development of Pontypridd from the construction of the famous Old Bridge, through the building of the Glamorganshire Canal and the start of Brown Lenox chainworks and then of course, the coal mining which was an integral part of the community. The museum also has displays on the Welsh Regiment and domestic, sporting and entertainment history of the area. There was also a temporary exhibit (there until the end of July) on the archaeology of Ponty due to the archaeology festival taking place, and this complimented the permanent exhibits as it offered a more detailed history of Ponty and the area, before the Old Bridge was constructed.

After being enlightened on some aspects of Ponty’s history, I could start doing some actual work! I’ve had a number of varied tasks to complete this week, and there hasn’t really been one of them which I disliked. I spent some time on the front desk, however not enough people visit the museum to make this exciting. People really need to be encouraged to visit this place, because I think many will be like me, and find out something new and interesting about a place they thought they had a good knowledge of. My time doing visitor observations had the same problem, and it’s difficult to decipher what it is people like about the museum when you don’t have large numbers of people coming here in the first place. Still, I was able to get some insight from this exercise about what other visitors enjoyed; which displays were interesting and engaging and which they glossed over.

I attended a staff meeting, which was quite interesting, since I got to hear about the plans and suggestions on what can be done to improve the museum and attract more visitors. I also got to hear about what was going to happen at the upcoming archaeology festival and fun day, which gave me some new tasks to do in preparation for this event. I researched and made models of prehistoric clay pots (a very messy activity, but fun nonetheless) and photocopied some sheets to be used on the day, including one activity page about the poos of the past, which I’m sure the children will enjoy.

Some of my favourite exercises were the twitter takeover I did for the museum and object marking. For the twitter exercise, I simply picked out my top 5 items on display at the museum, and have been tweeting about them this week! If you’re interested in what I chose, you can check it out on @PontyMuseum. Object handling was something new for me, where I helped to catalogue and label a number of items usually kept in storage at the museum. Most of the set I did consisted of mining artefacts, which I loved, because that’s one aspect of local history I can never get enough of (I’m very much proud of our mining heritage, despite the fact the collieries around here were closed before I was born).

I then did some more work with artefacts, this time looking at the ones which were on display. I picked a display case, analysed its contents and layout and thought of ways the display could be improved. After this evaluation, I thought up an alternative layout for the items and then wrote some new information panels. Once again, I was shocked to find out the history of the co-operative society (the subject of the display I chose) and the role it played to locals outside of its retailing, which was all I knew the co-op for. I also did some research into the Women’s Guild and was amazed at their work and the fact I’d never heard of the organisation before.

I finished off the week by uploading photos and artwork from the museum’s collection to the website History Pin and also tagging this art on BBC’s Your Paintings site.

I can easily say that this week has been interesting and enjoyable and that my work experience has been beneficial to me. I’d encourage anyone to visit Ponty museum if you’ve never done so, and possibly even look into volunteering here if you can! You’ll be giving your time to an amazing cause, and helping to support our local history, so the museum can keep telling the stories of the people of Ponty to younger generations, or even the older ones who were in the dark about Ponty’s past. All the staff are friendly and with the help of the volunteers can answer any questions you have. And really, with free admission to this museum, it’d be a waste not to come and have a look around when you’ve got some time to spare.

If you’re interested in doing a work experience placement at the museum, please get in touch on our contact page .

Another successful Model Railway Show

neil@websitesorted.com (Neil Kinnerly) — Mon, 01 Dec 2014 00:00:00 GMT

Once again our local model railway societies pulled out all the stops and brought along some amazing set-ups last weekend for our annual Model Railway Show. Congratulations to Rhondda Model Railway Club for winning the award for best exhibit!