Abertillery Heritage Trail
Abertillery Heritage Trail
Walk A - Abertillery
The town of Abertillery grew along the side of the valley to the east of the tinworks and became a major commercial centre in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The town is a place of dramatically changing views and considerable character bought about by the placing of imposing three and four storey buildings on a steeply sloping site.
Leaving the Foundry Bridge car park (1), walk south along Church Street to St. Michael’s Church (2), the parish church of Abertillery. The church was built in 1854 but largely rebuilt in 1874 and is a listed building.
Opposite St. Michael’s Church south façade is the Arcade (3). This was built in 1898, the Victorian equivalent of today’s shopping malls.
Between the Church and High Street bus station is a tarmac’d footpath leading to the right take this path downwards through a wooded area to Abertillery Library. The lively stream at the bottom of the bank is Afon Tyleri, the river Tyleri, from which the town takes its name “the mouth of the Tyleri”.
Cross the road in front of the library and take the path down to the underpass (5) running under the new A467. In the underpass is a large mosaic mural depicting scenes from Abertillery’s past. Designed and created by artist Kenneth Budd, the mural was commissioned and financed by Gwent County Council. Walk through the underpass turn left past the recently renovated Railway Inn (a memory of Abertillery’s days as an important railway centre). Ahead of you is the site of Warwill’s Foundry (6). Warwill’s (Founders) Limited was in constant production in Abertillery from 1874 – 1995 and produced high quality castings for industrial as well as ornamental and decorative purposes. On the same site a tinworks opened in 1846, complete with forge pond and a huge waterwheel. This led to the development of a new settlement on “Y Tump” (the area around St. Michael’s Church) – the nucleus of the modern town.
The stretch of road in front of you covers the spot where the rivers Tyleri and Ebbw Fach meet (7). In the 18th century a small stone bridge crossed Afon Tyleri here, under which a certain Anne Watkin Harry was in the habit of hiding from her husband Edmund David, who had a foul temper. “Abertilleri” was originally the name of a farm which stood close by, and the daughter of Anne and Edmund fell in love with a servant there by the name of Jerimiah James. Against her parents’ wishes the lovers married, and for years Edmund David strove to break up the marriage. Many years later the same Jerimiah James was witness to the suicide by hanging of John Jenkins at Abertyleri and then “saw the resemblance of a man coming from the hay loft, and violently turning upwards and downwards, topsy-turvy towards the river,……an evil spirit going with his prey, the self murderer, to hell”.
In 1799 Archdeacon Coxe passed over this bridge on one of his “Historical Tours through Monmouthshire” and his description of the scene is fascinating: -
“Thickly clothed with underwood and occasionally tufted with hanging groves of oak, beech, ash and alder; the wild raspberry twining in the thickets, and the ground overspread with the wood strawberry. The rapid torrent beneath was sometimes half obscured by trees, and sometimes re-appeared in, as it bounded over its’ rocky channel, illuminated by the rays of a mid-day sun”.
Go back through the underpass and then walk up the hill to the left of the fire station until you rejoin Foundry Bridge.
Walk B - Cwmtillery
Starting point – Cwmtillery Car Park (1).
With the lakes to your rear, look right, you will see two pit wheels set in a stone base (2), these were erected in 1987 to mark the site of the former Cwmtillery Colliery which opened in 1850.
Now begin to walk, keeping Cwmtillery Lakes to your left. Follow the road over the cattle grid and on your right hand side you will see St. Paul’s Church (3). This was built as a chapel of ease in 1890 at a cost of £1,250. Walk on until you reach a large gate which has a gravel track leading from it. Follow this track over a bridge as it doubles back on itself for 50 yards before bringing you to the car park (4) overlooking the lower lake. You are now in Cwmtillery (Cwmtyleri – “the valley of the river Tyleri”) and it is easy to see why Edmund Jones waxed lyrical about the place in 1779.
“And of the three valleys, the valley of Tileri on the East side of the parish is the most delightful. The trees which are the chief glory of the Earth, especially the beech trees, abounding about rivers great and small, the hedges and lanes make these place exceedingly pleasant and the passing by them delightful and affecting; so that well built houses with gardens, trees and wall buildings about them in these warm valleys, with the prospect of the grand high mountains about them would make very delightful habitations”.
It seems that Cwmtillery had little changed by 1799 when Archdeacon Coxe described it as: -
“An extensive district well peopled, richly wooded, and highly cultivated, almost rivalling the fertile counties of England…. we looked down with delight upon numerous valleys which abound with romantic scenery….”
The valley had indeed been cultivated from the earliest times, records dated 1694 show John Lewis Thomas, Evan John Harry and Lewis Harry Lewis among the small holders.
By the mid 19th century all this was to change. 1850 saw the sinking of the Cwmtillery Colliery – the Industrial Revolution had arrived!
The colliery was built on the site of a farm called Tir Nicholas (Nicholas’ Land) and we are fortunate that in 1853 John Russell, the mine owner, wrote a description of the place before work began on the colliery buildings: -
“A typical Welsh valley farm with massive gables and stone tiled roof, situated low in the valley for shelter. The front garden was surrounded by hedges of Holly and Beech and its stone flagged pathways were lined with dwarf bunders of clipped box bushes. Near the house was its water mill. Inside the house sat two women working at a spinning wheel, making wool for knitting or weaving. Large sides of bacon hung from the rafters, and simple food including milk, butter and cheese made from ewes’ milk, and instead of wheaten bread, crisp fresh oat cakes was the diet”.
A second shaft was sunk in 1858, and 1860 saw the opening of Pen-y-Bont pit further down the valley.
Leaving the car park, retrace your steps along the track to rejoin the road. On the far side of the road you will see a large sloping field marked by a series of banks and earthworks. This is known as the “Tumpy Field” (5) and is believed to be the remains of a prehistoric settlement, though it must be admitted that there is a lack of solid archaeological evidence of this.
Turn left and follow the road for about 100 yards northwards. Here the road dips to cross a small stream – Nant Gwrhyd. To your right and up the hill is a small barn in a clump of trees (6). This was once Gwrhyd Bach Barn, a Tudor doorway was discovered here some years ago and deposited with Abertillery Museum Society, for details re: The Museum Society, please contact the library. “Gwrhyd” means “a fathom” (the distance between a man’s outstretched hands), and may refer to the narrowness of the valley.
Across the Gwrhyd Brook, to the north, stands Gwrhyd Mawr Farm (7). It was here that Mari’r Gwrhyd, a notorious with once made her home and put a curse on Hendre Gwyndir Farm further up the valley.
About 100 yards up the road you will pass a house on your left and the entrance to the filtration plant for Cwmtillery Reservoir and the new wetlands area. Ahead of you, you will see a gate and a stile, follow the footpath northwards across the fields. The large lake to your left is Cwmtillery Reservoir (8) – built by the Abertillery Urban District Council in 1906.
Follow the footpath for about ½ mile, on the right hand side at the bottom of a steep dell stands Hendre Gwyndir Farm (9). Now used as a barn, Hendre Gwyndir was once prosperous enough to employ servants and milk-maids. Mari’r Gwrhyd, the witch from Gwrhyd Mawr farm, once called by begging for a loaf of bread. She received her request, but on finding barley as well as wheat in her loaf, she flew into a terrible rage and placed a curse on the cows at Hendre Gwyndir. Thereafter, despite churning for days, no butter could be made from their milk, dough made if it ran and stuck, and when it was fed to the pigs they fell sick. Was Mari’r’s curse the cause of the decline of Hendre Gwyndir?
From the stile at Hendre Gwyndir, looking across the valley, one can see a new Dutch barn (10). This is built over the remains of Pant Du or Queen’s House, which was identified by W. F. Deasy and Lord Raglan as the early 14th century dwelling of one of the foresters of the Tyleri Forest. This formed part of the Lordship of Abergavenny and is mentioned in records dating from as early as 1250. On further investigation the servants’ quarters were found, together with a wine flask dating from the 17th century.
Directly above Hendre Gwyndir to the east is Twyn-Ffynhonnau Oerion (The Hill of the cold springs”). The cold springs in question are found high up on the brow of the hill. In times past they were believed to possess powers of healing, and people would come from miles around to bathe their wounds and seek a cure for their ailments. In the 18th century the springs were a popular stopping off point for local gentry on their shooting expeditions over the moors. It was here that Robert ap Watkin of Cwm Celyn found his mules after a spell had been put on them by Old Ann, a witch who lived nearby.
Climbing over the stile at Hendre Gwyndir and walking north you are entering the remains of Tyleri Forest, or Coed Enynfa, known locally as Nun’s wood (a corruption of the Welsh name) or Bluebell wood. It is possible that the Welsh name derives from charcoal burning. (Ennyn – “to kindle”, Enynfa – “the kindling place”) one of the small scale industries associated with the medieval foresters. The route now leads down hill through the forest to a small gate on the northern fringe of the wood. Ahead of you a small bridge crosses Afon Tyleri, cross this and then bear left to the south, following the dry stone wall which acts as a field boundary on the western bank of the river.
About 200 yards ahead this route leads you into a steep-sided, basin like hollow, this is Pant Du (“The Black Hollow”). Looking across the valley t the north-east you can see a sizeable working farm. Gilfach Green (11). Formerly known as Llan-ty-Teri, the farm was rebuilt by Crawshay Bailey, the Nantyglo ironmaster in 1840, as a hunting lodge. The kennels are still attached to the farm. Further up the valley are the ruins of Blaentyleri (“the source of the Tyleri”). Ty Isaf (“Lower House”) and Blaencwm (“Top of the Valley”).
Follow the field wall around the base of Pant Du until it branches off sharply to the left. Ahead of you, a rough track leads southwards down the valley. Follow this track for about 500 yards until you are directly above Cwmtillery Reservoir. Below you, you will see the impressive remains of a stone built farmhouse – Ty-Nest-Llywelyn. Also known as Nest John Rosser (after her father), Nest sheltered the early non-conformists during a period of persecution in the 1670’s, when they met for prayer meetings and services at her house. For her pains she was dragged before the magistrates and threatened with fines and imprisonment. Of Nest’s brother, William John Rosser, it was said: -
“He was a very kind charitable man, helping the poor about him, with milk and oatmeal, and being a weaver would make clothes for the poor….it was also said of him, that, in the market he would give cans of ale to one and another of his acquaintance, who, he thought, were poor and unable to pay; drinking but little himself….I hear a firm old church woman say….if any of the Roundheads ever went to Heaven….William John Rosser went thither”.
Follow the track down the valley. About ½ mile further on, as you pass through a large area of reclaimed land, you will see a wooded dell high up the hillside to the west. This marks the site of Llannerch Padarn (12) (St. Padarn’s Forest clearing). It was here that W. F. Deasy discovered a Bronze Age axe-head (3,500 500 B.C.) which is displayed in Abertillery Museum.
As you continue on the track down the hillside to return to the lower lake you will notice a large cliff to the west. This is Pant-y-Darren (13) (Cliff Hollow) which marks the site of a Methodist Chapel and a row of houses, which were destroyed by a landslide in the early years of this century.
Follow the track to the gate onto the main road through Cwmtillery and back to the lower lake.
A hard copy of any of Blaenau Gwent Heritage Trails can be obtained from the Tourist Information Point in Parc Bryn Bach Visitor Centre