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36-471: Born in Blaina , Monmouthshire , she was the eldest daughter of Dr Isabell Hawker Soper, a Plymouth physician, and his wife, Jane Eleanor ( née Levick), and had a sister Evelyn Mary and a brother Frederick. Her mother died in 1870 when she was nine years old. She was a gifted girl fond of reading and music and also had a secret ambition to become a doctor. Florence had just passed her last school examination and

72-573: A pioneer of The Salvation Army's social work for women, caught wind of this travesty she knew The Salvation Army needed to do something. She and her husband, Bramwell Booth, were moved as they walked the streets of London and saw the desperation and despair. Florence championed the cause and helped bring social reform. In 1884 Florence inaugurated The Women's Social Work which was run from a small house in Hanbury Street , in Whitechapel , London . She

108-497: A return to the pre-1939 industrial collapse after the end of the war. There was a sense of salvation when the government announced the nationalisation of British coalmines in 1947; but the following decades saw a continual reduction in the output from the Welsh mines. The decline in the mining of coal after World War II was a country-wide issue, but South Wales was more severely affected than other areas of Britain. Oil had superseded coal as

144-635: A single pit within the valleys producing coal in 1984, located at Maerdy . In 1966, the village of Aberfan in the Taff valley suffered one of the worst disasters in Welsh history , referred to today as the Aberfan disaster . A mine waste tip on the top of the mountain, which had been developed over a spring , slid down the valley side and destroyed the village junior school , killing 144 people, 116 of them children. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of

180-434: Is derived from the Welsh word blaenau "uplands". As of 2011, the town has a population of 4,808. According to the 2011 Census , 6.3% of the ward's 4,808 (303 residents) resident-population can speak, read, and write Welsh . This is above the county 's figure of 5.5% of 67,348 (3,705 residents) who can speak, read, and write Welsh . Blaina is mentioned in the folk song The Bells of Rhymney : "And who robbed

216-455: Is the re-opening of services between Ebbw Vale and Newport (via the Gaer Tunnel ) which is projected to be completed by 2021. The South Wales Valleys contain a large proportion of the Welsh population and remain an important centre of Welsh culture , despite the growing economic dominance of Cardiff. The UK Parliament's first Labour Party MP , Keir Hardie , was elected from the area, and

252-462: The Taff valley , became Wales's largest town thanks to its growing ironworks at Dowlais and Cyfarthfa . The neighbouring Taff Bargoed Valley to the east became the centre of serious industrial and political strife during the 1930s, especially in and around the villages of Trelewis and Bedlinog , which served the local collieries of Deep Navigation and Taff Merthyr . The South Wales coalfield attracted huge numbers of people from rural areas to

288-558: The United Kingdom . Her policies of free market economics soon clashed with the loss-making, government-owned National Coal Board. In 1984 and 1985, after the government announced plans to close many mines across the UK, mineworkers went on strike . This strike, and its ultimate failure, led to the virtual destruction of the UK's coal industry over the next decade, although arguably costs of extraction and geological difficulties would have had

324-450: The rail network into Cardiff is extensive, train times and frequencies beyond Caerphilly and Pontypridd impede the development of a significant commuter market to city centre jobs. Although the housing stock is not of significantly worse quality than elsewhere in Wales, there is a lack of variety in terms of private dwellings. Many homes are low-priced, older and terraced, concentrated in

360-744: The A4054 from Quakers Yard . Stagecoach in South Wales provides bus services linking many towns and villages directly to Cardiff city centre . Many settlements in the Valleys are served by the Valley Lines network, an urban rail network radiating from Cardiff which links them to the city's stations, principally Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central , with connections onto the South Wales Main Line . There are six main lines from Central Cardiff to

396-688: The Booth's eldest daughter Catherine to begin the Salvation Army's work in France. It was at this time that Bramwell asked her to marry him. As she was not yet 21 her father was against the marriage, but finally, on 12 October 1882, Captain Florence Soper married Chief of the Staff Bramwell Booth at Clapton Congress Hall before a crowd of 6,000 Salvationists, who were charged 1 shilling each to attend,

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432-507: The Lower Valleys and 71% across Wales as a whole. A relatively large number of local people are employed in manufacturing, health and social services. Fewer work in managerial or professional occupations, and more in elementary occupations, compared to the rest of the country. A large number of people commute to Cardiff, particularly in Caerphilly , Torfaen and Rhondda Cynon Taf . Though

468-460: The Valleys remain a stronghold of Labour Party power. Rugby union is very popular, and pitches can be seen along the valley corridors. The geographical shape of the valleys has its effect on culture. Roads stretch along valleys and connect the different settlements in the valley, whereas neighbouring valleys are separated by hills and mountains. Consequently, the towns in a valley are more closely associated with each other than they are with towns in

504-543: The area are also planned to go ahead. The Valleys are home to around 30% of the Welsh population, although this is declining slowly because of emigration, especially from the Upper Valleys. The area has a relatively high proportion of residents (over 90% in Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil ) born in Wales. The Valleys have the highest percentage of Welsh identifying population in all of Wales. Merthyr Tydfil reported

540-500: The decline of coal was the massive under-investment in Welsh mines over the past decades. Most of the mines in the valleys were sunk between the 1850s and 1880s, so they were far smaller than most modern mines. The Welsh mines were comparatively antiquated, with methods of ventilation, coal-preparation and power supply all of a decades-earlier standard. In 1945 the British coal industry as a whole cut 72% of its output mechanically, whereas in

576-410: The fuel of choice in many industries, and there was political pressure influencing the supply of oil. Of the few industries that still relied on coal, the demand was for quality coals, especially coking coal , which was required by the steel industry. Fifty percent of Glamorgan coal was now supplied to steelworks , with the second biggest market being domestic heating, in which the "smokeless" coal of

612-482: The highest rate of Welsh identifying, with 70.0%. They also had the highest rates of reporting themselves to have 'No religion'. The Valleys as a whole do suffer from a number of socio-economic problems however. A high proportion of people report a limiting long-term health problem, especially in the Upper Valleys. In 2006, only 64% of the working age population in the Heads of the Valleys was in employment compared with 69% in

648-631: The late 2000s, powers over the Wales and Borders rail franchise are now held by the Welsh Government . As a result, financing has been advanced through the Cardiff City Deal for a South Wales Metro . The metro will consist of route electrification, new Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles trains manufactured at Llanwern for use in 2023, new stations, more frequent services, and faster journey times across most valleys. The first major improvement

684-493: The lowest Council Tax bands; few are higher-priced detached homes. A report for the Welsh Government concluded that the Valleys is "a distressed area unique in Great Britain for the depth and concentration of its problems". However, the area does benefit from a local landscape described as "stunning", improving road links such as the upgraded A465 , and public investment in regeneration initiatives. Following devolution in

720-637: The miner?" say the grim bells of Blaina , quoting poetry from Idris Davies . This article relating to a location in Monmouthshire is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . South Wales Valleys The South Wales Valleys ( Welsh : Cymoedd De Cymru ) are a group of industrialised peri-urban valleys in South Wales . Most of the valleys run north–south, roughly parallel to each other. Commonly referred to as "The Valleys" ( Welsh : Y Cymoedd ), they stretch from Carmarthenshire in

756-432: The money being used to purchase the notorious "Eagle Tavern" public house . The wedding ceremony was performed by General Booth . In 1912, on the death of his father, Bramwell Booth was to become the second General of The Salvation Army . Life for women in the early 1880s was difficult. Jobs were scarce, and prostitution was rampant. Girls as young as 13 were selling themselves or being sold for money. When Florence Booth,

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792-570: The neighbouring valley, even when the towns in the neighbouring valley are closer on the map. The A470 from Cardiff is, as far as its junction with the A465 Heads of the Valleys road , a dual-carriageway providing direct access to Taff's Well , Pontypridd , Abercynon and Merthyr Tydfil . It links with the A4059 from Abercynon , Aberdare and Hirwaun ; the A472 from Ystrad Mynach and Pontypool , and

828-535: The northern edge of the Valleys, mainly by English entrepreneurs. This made South Wales the most important part of Britain for ironmaking until the middle of the 19th century. Second, from 1850 until the outbreak of the First World War , the South Wales Coalfield was developed to supply steam coal and anthracite . The South Wales Valleys hosted Britain's only mountainous coalfields. Topography defined

864-490: The rise in drug abuse in the local area, which was highlighted in the national media during the autumn of 2002 and largely linked to drug dealing gangs from Birmingham and Bristol . More recently however employment levels have risen significantly in the area, including growing faster than elsewhere in Wales. This has been driven by billions of pounds of investment into the valleys from EU structural funds, UK government and Welsh government. Significant further investments in

900-456: The same result, perhaps a little later. No deep coal mines are left in the valleys since the closure in 2008 of Tower Colliery in the Cynon Valley . Tower had been bought by the workers in 1994, despite government attempts to close it. By 2002, the unemployment rates in the Welsh valleys were among the highest in the whole United Kingdom since the 1980s, and have been seen as a major factor in

936-518: The shape of the mining communities, with a "hand and fingers" pattern of urban development. There were fewer than 1,000 people in the Rhondda valley in 1851, 17,000 by 1870, 114,000 by 1901 and 153,000 by 1911; but the wider impact of urbanisation was constrained by geography—the Rhondda remained a collection of villages rather than a town. The population of the Valleys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries

972-488: The south of Wales the figure was just 22%. The only way to ensure the financial survival of the mines in the valleys was massive investment from the National Coal Board , but the "Plan for Coal" drawn up in 1950 was overly optimistic about the future demand for coal, which was drastically reduced following an industrial recession in 1956 and an increased availability of oil. From 15,000 miners in 1947, Rhondda had just

1008-557: The southern Wales coalfield again became fashionable after the Clean Air Act of 1956 was passed. These two markets now controlled the fate of the mines in Wales, and as demand from both sectors fell, the mining industry contracted further. In addition exports to other areas of Europe, traditionally France, Italy and the Low Countries , experienced a massive decline: from 33% around 1900 to roughly 5% by 1980. The other major factor in

1044-467: The trade. Many of the residents were young, expectant mothers. Realizing the need for additional care for pregnant women, The Salvation Army opened rescue homes across the globe. Florence and Bramwell Booth had five daughters and two sons: Catherine (1883-1987), Mary B. (1885-1969), Florence Miriam (1887-1917), Olive Emma (1891-1989), Dora (1893-1989), Bramwell Bernard (1889-1984) and William Wycliffe (1895-1975). On her death in 1957, Florence Soper Booth

1080-452: The valleys; and many rows of terraced housing were built along the valley sides to accommodate the influx. The coal mined in the valleys was transported south along railways and canals to Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. Cardiff was soon among the most important coal ports in the world, and Swansea among the most important steel ports. The coal mining industry of the Valleys was buoyed throughout World War II, though there were expectations of

1116-457: The west to Monmouthshire in the east; to the edge of the pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain near the cities of Swansea , Cardiff , and Newport . Until the mid-19th century, the South Wales valleys were sparsely inhabited. The industrialisation of the Valleys occurred in two phases. First, in the second half of the 18th century, the iron industry was established on

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1152-432: Was appointed to take charge of the Salvation Army's first Rescue Home. She continued to lead this pioneering aspect of The Salvation Army's work for the next 28 years, until Bramwell became General. One of the tangible ways The Salvation Army helped these destitute women was by opening homes for women in the hopes they would not have to turn to prostitution and providing a safe haven for those who were already suffering from

1188-653: Was buried with Bramwell Booth at Abney Park Cemetery . Florence Booth House is a shelter for homeless people in Ontario, Canada Blaina Blaina ( / ˈ b l aɪ n ə / BLEYE -nə Welsh : Blaenau Welsh pronunciation: [ˈbleɨnaɨ] ) is a small town , situated deep within the South Wales Valleys between Brynmawr and Abertillery in the unitary authority of Blaenau Gwent , ancient parish of Aberystruth , preserved county of Gwent and historic county of Monmouthshire . The place name

1224-409: Was disproportionately young and male; many of them were migrants drawn from other parts of Wales or from further afield. The new communities had extremely high birth rates—in 1840, more than 20 per cent of Tredegar 's population was aged under seven, and Rhondda's birth rate in 1911 was 36 per thousand, levels usually associated with mid-19th century Britain. Merthyr Tydfil , at the northern end of

1260-524: Was visiting her two aunts in London when she converted at a Whitechapel meeting she had attended as a sightseer. Here she heard Catherine Booth speak and made the decision to follow Christ and learn more about The Salvation Army . She became friendly with the Booth family including their son Bramwell. After making the decision to join the Army, by 1881 she had been promoted to Lieutenant and in that year went with

1296-536: Was young, delicate, refined; her remarkable powers of grasp and administration had not been developed at this time; she was typical of the well-educated, rather shrinking and self-conscious girl of the English professional classes — perhaps the last person in the world to whom any one would have thought of committing so hazardous and dreadful a business as this rescuing of fallen women. But she was moved by her husband's appeal, and, in spite of some doubt on William Booth's part,

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