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122-752: In 1861 the Llynvi Valley Railway was opened in Glamorganshire , Wales, to convey mineral products to the Bristol Channel at Porthcawl. It adopted an earlier tramroad, the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway . The Llynvi and Ogmore Railway was opened in 1865, and the two companies amalgamated to form the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway in 1866. At first Porthcawl harbour was an important destination for onward transport, but this soon declined. The area covered by

244-464: A county borough . Glamorgan comprised distinct regions: the industrial valleys , the agricultural vale and the scenic Gower Peninsula . The county had boundaries with Brecknockshire (north), Monmouthshire (east), Carmarthenshire (west), and to the south it was bordered by the Bristol Channel . The total area was 2,100 km (811 sq mi). Glamorgan contained two cities, Cardiff ,

366-412: A "reasonable" level of economic activity, and the anthracite coalfield in western Glamorgan (and eastern Carmarthenshire) also managed to maintain production and exports above pre-war levels. With the outbreak of World War II the coalfields of Glamorgan saw a sharp rise in trade and employment. Despite the demand the want for the youth to conscript in the war effort in the valley areas meant that there

488-600: A community under the patronage of St. Peter's Gloucester . The building of parish churches also began in the 12th century, densely in the Vale, but very sparsely in the upland and northern areas. The Laws in Wales Acts of 1535 established the County of Glamorgan through the amalgamation of the Lordship of Glamorgan with the lordships of Gower and Kilvey ; the area that had previously been

610-433: A harbour and arose as a holiday and residential location. As the mineral industries declined after 1945 the railway network followed, but in 1992 the line from Bridgend to Maesteg was reopened to passenger trains, and that is the principal remaining railway activity on the old L&OR network. The Llynfi Valley runs north to south, from the high mountains 3 miles (5 km) north of Maesteg down to Tondu where it joins

732-518: A large labour force – up to 200 men – suggestive of large communities nearby. Archaeological evidence from some Neolithic sites (e.g. Tinkinswood) has shown the continued use of cromlechi in the Bronze Age . The Bronze Age – defined by the use of metal – has made a lasting impression on the area. Over six hundred Bronze Age barrows and cairns , of various types, have been identified all over Glamorgan. Other technological innovations – including

854-500: A larger Royalist to prevent a siege of Cardiff. The period between the Laws in Wales Acts and the industrialisation of Glamorgan saw two distinct periods architecturally. From the 1530s throughout to 1650, the newly empowered gentry attempted to show their status by building stately homes to show their wealth; but the period from 1650 through to the mid-1750s was a fallow time for architectural grandeur, with few new wealthy families moving to

976-618: A local outcropping of coal near the surface, gave Swansea economic advantages in the smelting industry. Early iron smelting within Glamorgan was a localised and minor industry, with historical evidence pointing to scattered ironworks throughout the county. John Leland mentions a works at Llantrisant in 1539, an operation in Aberdare existed during the reign of Edward VI and two iron furnaces were recorded as being set up by Sir W. Mathew in Radyr during

1098-523: A mound of earth known as a round barrow ; sometimes with a distinctive style of finely decorated pottery – like those at Llanharry (discovered 1929) and at Llandaff (1991) – that gave rise to the Early Bronze Age being described as Beaker culture . From c. 3350 BP, a worsening climate began to make agriculture unsustainable in upland areas. The resulting population pressures appear to have led to conflict. Hill forts began to be built from

1220-491: A sloping capstone (known as dolmens ) ; common over Atlantic Europe . Nineteen Neolithic chambered tombs (or long barrows ) and five possible henges have been identified in Glamorgan. These megalithic burial chambers, or cromlechi , were built between 6000 and 5000 BP, during the early Neolithic period, the first of them about 1500 years before either Stonehenge or the Egyptian Great Pyramid of Giza

1342-585: A total of £50,000 in new LVR shares. Already on 2 July 1847 the LVR had obtained authorisation in the Lynvi Valley Railway Extension Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. lxxix) to deviate from its earlier intended route. The South Wales Railway had originally intended to follow a route much closer to the coast between Pencoed and Margam, but now it revised its route to pass Pyle . The LVR abandoned its line to Margam, instead running south from Tondu to

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1464-651: A triangular junction with the SWR at Bridgend, independently of the Bridgend Railway. The LVR got a further act in 1851, the Llynvi Valley Railway Act 1851 ( 14 & 15 Vict. c. cxxv) authorising a short north to east connection to the SWR at Stormy, east of Pyle. Steam power was prohibited from being used on it. The broad gauge connection, known as the South Wales Junction Branch Railway,

1586-581: The Brown Lenox Chainworks , which during the 19th century was the town's main industrial employer. The largest change to industrial Glamorgan was the opening up of the South Wales coalfield , the largest continuous coalfield in Britain, which occupied the greater part of Glamorgan, mostly north of the Vale. The coalfield provided a vast range in quality and type, but prior to 1750 the only real access to

1708-678: The Diocese of Llandaff became incorporated into the Province of Canterbury, the Bishop of Llandaff rebuilt over the small church with the beginnings of Llandaff Cathedral in 1120. In the western region of Morgannwg two monastic foundations were sited, a Savigniac house in Neath in 1130 and the Cistercian Margam Abbey in 1147. In the Vale a Benedictine monastery was founded in 1141, Ewenny Priory ,

1830-509: The Earl of Dunraven , Sir John Nicholl and Sir Digby Mackworth. They obtained an act of Parliament, the Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway Act 1825 ( 6 Geo. 4 . c. civ), on 10 June 1825 to make a horse-drawn toll railway from Duffryn Llynvi to Pwll Cawl (or Porthcawl , or Pwll-y-Cawl), and to improve the harbour there by the erection of a jetty, and charge harbour dues and wharfage. The engineer

1952-553: The Elizabethan era . By 1666 a furnace was in operation in Hirwaun and in 1680 a smelting hearth was established in Caerphilly . Despite the existence of these industries, the scale of production was small, and in 1740 the total output of iron from Glamorgan was reported at 400 tons per year. Glamorgan, now falling under the protection of the crown, was also involved in the conflicts of

2074-575: The General Strike of 1926 and then most disastrously the interwar depression of 1929–1931, which changed the face of industrial Glamorgan forever. In 1932, Glamorgan had an unemployment rate of more than 40 per cent, and one of the highest proportions of people receiving poor relief in the United Kingdom. This was a contrast with relatively recent prosperity: for example, in 1913 unemployment in Merthyr

2196-665: The London and North Western Railway encouraged it and would no doubt have contributed to the cost in order to get the access. However the GWR was motivated by now to convert its South Wales system to the standard gauge, which it did in 1872, and nothing more was heard of the scheme to reach Nantgarw. As the broad gauge system was no longer in use in South Wales, the L&;OR removed the third rail that had been provided for broad gauge vehicles. On 16 May 1873

2318-605: The Mansels at Margam , Williams of Neath , the Herberts at Cardiff and Swansea, Sir David Ap Mathew of Llandaff, and the Stradlings of St Donats . The main industry of Glamorgan during this period was agriculture. In the upland, or Blaenau area, the hilly terrain along with many areas being densely wooded, made arable farming unprofitable, so the local farming concentrated on the rearing of horses, cattle and sheep. The lowland, or Bro

2440-531: The Marquess of Bute with the intention of erecting buildings to meet the administrative, legal and educational needs of Glamorgan's county town. From 1901 onwards, Cathays Park was developed into "possibly the finest... civic centre in Britain" with a range of public buildings including the Baroque City Hall and the rococo -style University College . The majority of Nonconformist chapels were built in

2562-526: The Mesolithic nomadic lives of hunting and gathering, to the Neolithic agrarian life of agriculture and settlement. They cleared the forests to establish pasture and to cultivate the land and developed new technologies such as ceramics and textile production. A tradition of long barrow construction began in continental Europe during the 7th millennium BP – the free standing megalithic structures supporting

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2684-469: The River Ogmore , which itself continues through Bridgend to the Bristol Channel at Ogmore-by-Sea . In the first half of the eighteenth century the area was entirely rural, but coal outcropped in the ground and was used by farmers, and some was taken away for sale by pack animal. Charcoal had been used for smelting iron but in the second half of the 18th century, coke began to be used instead; limestone

2806-493: The Tawe valley also became a location for the manufacture of nickel after Ludwig Mond established a works at Clydach in 1902. Even at its peak, copper smelting was never as significant as iron smelting, which was the major industrial employer of men and capital in south Wales before the rise of the sale-coal industry. Ironmaking developed in locations where ironstone , coal and limestone were found in close proximity – primarily

2928-524: The terrace house or miners cottage, railway stations, hospitals, churches, chapels, bridges, viaducts, stadiums, schools, universities, museums and workingmen's halls. As well as the architecture of Glamorgan entering modernity , there was also a reflection to the past, with some individuals who made the most from the booming industrial economy restoring symbols of the past, building follies and commissioning Gothic-style additions to ancient churches. Robert Lugar 's Cyfarthfa Castle in Merthyr (1825) and

3050-472: The wheel ; harnessing oxen ; weaving textiles ; brewing alcohol ; and skillful metalworking (producing new weapons and tools, and fine gold decoration and jewellery, such as brooches and torcs ) – changed people's everyday lives during this period. Deforestation continued to the more remote areas as a warmer climate allowed the cultivation even of upland areas. By 4000 BP people had begun to bury, or cremate their dead in individual cists , beneath

3172-440: The 19th century. They progressed from simple, single-storey designs to larger and more elaborate structures, most built in the classical style. Perhaps the most ambitious chapel was John Humphrey's Morriston Tabernacle (1872), incorporating Classical, Romanesque and Gothic elements, which has been called the 'Noncomformist Cathedral of Wales'. Industrial architecture tended to be functional, although some structures, such as

3294-417: The 8th-century king Morgan ab Athrwys, otherwise known as "Morgan Mwynfawr" ('great in riches') who united Glywysing with the neighbouring kingdoms of Gwent and Ergyng , although some have argued for the similar 10th-century ruler Morgan Hen . It is possible it was only the union of Gwent and Glywysing that was referred to as Morgannwg. By virtue of its location and geography, Morgannwg or Glywysing

3416-511: The Act of Union, allowed the leading Welsh families to gain in wealth and prosperity, allowing equal footing to those families of English extraction. Old monasteries, with their lands, were acquired by the wealthy and turned into country houses; their notable residents preferring to live in gentry houses rather than the fortified castles of the past. Major families in Glamorgan included the Carnes at Ewenny ,

3538-455: The American coal miners' strike. Cardiff Docks reached an exporting peak in 1923, but soon production fell and unemployment in the upland valleys began to increase at a dramatic rate. Between April 1924 and August 1925 the unemployment rate amongst South Wales miners jumped from 1.8% to 28.5%. Several factors came together to cause this collapse, including the over-valuation of sterling, the end of

3660-534: The Blaenllynfi Colliery, in present-day Caerau; the colliery was alongside what is now Caerau Road (and Railway Terrace). There were already a number of tramroad connections to works in the Tondu and Maesteg area, and the opening of the line, giving easy access to the dock at Porthcawl, encouraged the establishment of further metal foundries and collieries, in many cases served by private tramroads in connection with

3782-503: The British output of copper . The industry was developed by English entrepreneurs and investors such as John Henry Vivian and largely based in the west of the county, where coal could be purchased cheaply and ores imported from Cornwall , Devon and later much further afield. The industry was of immense importance to Swansea in particular; in 1823 the smelting works on the River Tawe , and

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3904-595: The Bronze Age, it was not until non- ferrous metalworking became a major industry in the late 17th century that Glamorgan saw a concentration of works appearing in a belt between Kidwelly and Port Talbot. Smelting of copper started around Neath under the Mines Royal Society c.  1584 but the scale of the works increased dramatically from the early 18th century when Swansea displaced Bristol as Britain's copper smelting capital. Easy access to Cornish ores and

4026-519: The Cerdin (Cross Inn); thence to the Llwyndurys weighing house at Pontrhydycyff (Llangynwyd), after which it ran across the main road, and continued behind the modern Maesteg Comprehensive School to the old Gadlys Woollen Mill, where its embankment can be traced across Nant-y-Gadlys. The tramway then continued to Cefn Ydfa and to Tondu, where it turned west to Cefn Cwsc, Kenfig Hill, Pyle, Cornelly and finally to

4148-729: The DL&;PR and in other cases purely internal and private. In 1839 a new ironworks, known as the Cambrian Ironworks, was established by Allen and his partners established another iron company, the Cambrian Iron Works (later named the Llynvi Iron Works), and in 1846 the Forge was added to these works. The journey time from Duffryn Llynvi to Porthcawl was just over six hours; the return journey, uphill, took eight hours. A regular time table

4270-576: The Glamorgan coast – e.g., Burry Holms (Gower Peninsula). Excavations at one – Dunraven hill fort ( Southerndown , Vale of Glamorgan) – revealed the remains of twenty-one roundhouses . Many other settlements of the Silures were neither hill forts nor castles. For example, the 3.2-hectare (8-acre) fort established by the Romans near the estuary of the River Taff in 75 AD, in what would become Cardiff,

4392-598: The Gower Peninsula was not under the Lordship of Glamorgan, and became the Gower Lordship which had previously been the cantref of Gŵyr . The lowlands of the Lordship of Glamorgan were manorialized, while much of the sparsely populated uplands were left under Welsh control until the late 13th century. Upon the death of William, Lord of Glamorgan , his extensive holdings were eventually granted to Gilbert de Clare in 1217. The subjugation of Glamorgan, begun by Fitzhamon,

4514-606: The Great Depression because of the high proportion of its workforce employed in primary production rather than the manufacture of finished products. Other parts of Britain began to recover as domestic demand for consumer products picked up, but unemployment in the South Wales Valleys continued to rise: the jobless rate in Merthyr reached 47.5 per cent in June 1935. However, the coastal ports, Cardiff and Swansea, managed to sustain

4636-411: The L&OR agreed with the GWR that the latter would take over the working of their line, which by now extended to 27 miles (43 km), reaching 26 collieries. The L&OR was so successful by now that the GWR guaranteed 6% to its shareholders as its part of the agreement. This was ratified by an act of Parliament of 1 July 1873. The GWR absorbed the L&OR ten years later on 1 July 1883. Meanwhile,

4758-657: The LVR and the OVR to amalgamate, and the necessary powers were secured in an act of Parliament, the Llynvi and Ogmore Railways (Amalgamation) Act 1866 ( 29 & 30 Vict. c. cxx) on 28 June 1866: the new company would be called the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway . Under the 1866 act the OVR Company was dissolved and amalgamated with the LVR Company to create the L&OR Company with a capital of £402,000 and borrowing powers of £133,900. By 1868

4880-464: The LVR. The Ogmore Valley Railway opened on 1 August 1865 from Nantymoel to Tondu for mineral traffic through to Porthcawl. it had sold a locomotive to the LVR, probably to work OVR passenger trains over the LVR to Porthcawl. and connected with the LVR at Tondu Junction. Mining output and the ironfounding businesses in the Llynfi and Ogmore valleys continued to grow, and indeed it was obviously outstripping

5002-576: The Late Bronze Age (and throughout the Iron Age (3150–1900 BP)) and the amount and quality of weapons increased noticeably – along the regionally distinctive tribal lines of the Iron Age. Archaeological evidence from two sites in Glamorgan shows Bronze Age practices and settlements continued into the Iron Age. Finds from Llyn Fawr , thought to be votive offerings , include weapons and tools from

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5124-622: The Late Bronze Age and the Early Iron Age. The hoard, described as "one of the most significant prehistoric metalwork hoards in Wales" has given its name to the Llyn Fawr Phase , the last Bronze Age phase in Britain. Excavations at Llanmaes , Vale of Glamorgan, indicate a settlement and "feasting site" occupied from the Late Bronze Age until the Roman occupation . Until the Roman conquest of Britain ,

5246-725: The Maesteg and Tondu area were the Brogden family, brothers who together controlled the majority of the iron foundries and collieries in the district. In addition they were the principal forces in both the Llynvi Valley Railway and the Ogmore Valley Railway. This enabled a close collaboration between the two companies, and they procured an act of Parliament in June 1864 to construct the New Porthcawl Dock . Much larger and better protected from prevailing winds, it cost £250,000 to build, and

5368-460: The Maesteg ironworks at Duffryn Llynvi to Porthcawl was opened on 22 June 1828. Duffryn Llynvi was the name of the ironworks in Maesteg—the district was also known as Garnlwyd. Many other works and collieries were served intermediately by the new line. Duffryn Llynvi was reached in 1828 when the line opened; the line was extended to Allen's spelter works in 1831. The line was soon extended further to

5490-641: The Parliament of Ireland . For acts of the devolved parliaments and assemblies in the United Kingdom, see the list of acts of the Scottish Parliament , the list of acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly , and the list of acts and measures of Senedd Cymru ; see also the list of acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland . The number shown after each act's title is its chapter number. Acts passed before 1963 are cited using this number, preceded by

5612-609: The Porthcawl dock facilities had been improved by the (former) Llynvi Valley Railway and Ogmore Valley Railways, working together. Now capable of handling vessels of 2,000 tons, it had become an important gateway for mineral products and incoming necessities, including timber for the mines, and a shipbuilding business had been established. Glamorganshire Glamorgan ( / ɡ l ə ˈ m ɔːr ɡ ən / ), or sometimes Glamorganshire ( Welsh : Morgannwg [mɔrˈɡanʊɡ] or Sir Forgannwg [ˈsiːr vɔrˈɡanʊɡ] ),

5734-490: The Rhondda grew from 3,035 in 1861 to 55,632 in 1881, peaking in 1921 at 162,729. Much of this population growth was driven by immigration . In the ten years from 1881 to 1891, net migration to Glamorgan was over 76,000, 63 percent of which was from the non-border counties of England – a proportion that increased in the following decade. Until the beginning of the 18th century, Glamorgan was almost entirely agriculture based. With

5856-672: The SWR near Bridgend station, all to the broad gauge. The act authorised the re-incorporation of the company with a capital of £200,000, with powers to purchase the Bridgend Railway for £3,000, and to enter into working arrangements with the SWR. In fact the first sod was cut on 15 July 1858. Brunel was the supervising engineer of the LVR construction work; he appointed Captain McNair to the post of resident engineer. The new LVR line opened to mineral traffic on 10 August 1861. Passenger services between Bridgend and Maesteg commenced on 25 February 1864. The short South Wales Junction Branch Railway at Stormy

5978-616: The South Wales Railway had been projected for some years and obtained its authorising act of Parliament, the South Wales Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. cxc) in 1845, so that soon the area would be connected by a trunk railway to the British network. Local businesspeople decided to promote a new railway to modernise the DL&PR and Bridgend Railway networks. In 1845 the Llynvi Valley and South Wales Junction Railway

6100-473: The Victorian terrace of Cardiff or the ribbon cottages of the valleys. Several of these projects were failures architecturally and socially. Of note were the Billybanks estate in Penarth and Penrhys Estate (Alex Robertson, Peter Francis & Partners) in the Rhondda, both described by Malcolm Parry , the former Head of the School of Architecture at Cardiff University, as "...the worst examples of architecture and planning in Wales." 10 Geo. 4 Note that

6222-410: The Welsh princes. It was defined by a large concentration of castles. After falling under English rule in the 16th century, Glamorgan became a more stable county, and exploited its natural resources to become an important part of the Industrial Revolution . Glamorgan was the most populous and industrialised county in Wales, and was once called the "crucible of the Industrial Revolution", as it contained

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6344-410: The area during an interstadial period . The oldest known human burial in Great Britain – the Red Lady of Paviland – was discovered in a coastal cave between Port Eynon and Rhossili , on the Gower Peninsula. The 'lady' has been radiocarbon dated to c. 29,000  years before present (BP) – during the Late Pleistocene – at which time the cave overlooked an area of plain , some miles from

6466-402: The area for smelting. The locality of the works became known as Spelter, and the name appears on present-day maps. In 1839 Allen and his partners established another iron company, the Cambrian Iron Works (later known as the Llynvi Iron Works), in Maesteg. These industries needed transport away to market, and this was chiefly by sea from wharves on the Bristol Channel. Transport from the works and

6588-457: The area is likely to have been completely uninhabitable. Evidence of the presence of Neanderthals has been discovered on the Gower Peninsula . Whether they remained in the area during periods of extreme cold is unclear. Sea levels have been 150 metres (490 ft) lower and 8 metres (26 ft) higher than at present, resulting in significant changes to the coastline during this period. Archaeological evidence shows that humans settled in

6710-460: The area that would become known as Glamorgan was part of the territory of the Silures – a Celtic British tribe that flourished in the Iron Age – whose territory also included the areas that would become known as Breconshire and Monmouthshire . The Silures had hill forts throughout the area – e.g., Caerau ( Cardiff ), Caerau hill fort, Rhiwsaeson ( Llantrisant ), and Y Bwlwarcau [Mynydd Margam], south west of Maesteg – and cliff castles along

6832-405: The area. Of the eight major gentry houses of the time only St Fagans Castle survives with its interior intact; five, Neath Abbey, Old Beaupre Castle , Oxwich Castle , Llantrithyd and Ruperra Castle are ruinous. Of the remaining two manors, The Van at Caerphilly was reconstructed in 1990 while Cefnmabli was gutted by a fire in 1994. The old castles became abandoned throughout this period due to

6954-444: The bridge and ran into Bridgend Station, where it had its own platform and booking office. This station was approached by a lane behind the Coity Castle Hotel. On 1 August 1865 the LVR started operating a passenger service to Porthcawl, in addition to the Bridgend to Maesteg service. The LVR had its own station at Pyle. The LVR line and the South Wales Railway (now GWR following amalgamation) route were not immediately adjacent and there

7076-485: The cantref of Gwynllwg was lost to Monmouthshire . With Wales finally incorporated with the English dominions, the administration of justice passed into the hands of the crown. The Lordship became a shire and was awarded its first parliamentary representative with the creation of the Glamorganshire constituency in 1536. The Reformation , which was closely followed by the Dissolution of the Monasteries , led to vast social changes across Britain. These events, along with

7198-507: The century progressed, symbols of the past industrial period were torn down and replaced with industrial estates populated by unadorned geometric factories. With concrete becoming the favourite post-war building material, larger office blocks began appearing within the cities, though few were of any architectural significance. Despite entering a fallow period of architectural design, several structures of note did emerge. Although work began in 1911, The National Museum of Wales (Smith and Brewer)

7320-461: The coal subsidy, the growth of electric power, the adoption of oil as the fuel of choice for many industries, and over-expansion of the mines in the late nineteenth century. The Welsh coal owners had failed to invest mechanisation during the good years, and by the 1930s the South Wales Coalfield had the lowest productivity, highest production costs and smallest profits of all Britain's coal-producing regions. These structural problems were followed by

7442-421: The collieries and shipping dependent on them, supported between 8,000 and 10,000 people. Imports of copper ores reached a peak in the 1880s, after which there was a steep fall until the virtual end of the trade in the 1920s. The cost of shipping ores from distant countries, and the growth of foreign competitors, ended Glamorgan's dominance of the industry. Some of the works converted to the production of zinc and

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7564-435: The collieries to the coast was expensive and slow, generally taking place on the backs of pack animals. The ordinary road network was quite inadequate for industrial development. Even the earlier, small-scale iron and coal industries around Maesteg, and further south along the Cefn Cribwr ridge, created a demand for ship-borne transport to market. The Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway was promoted by local people, including

7686-402: The copper plants of Swansea. In 1828 the South Wales coalfield was producing an estimated 3 million tons of coal, by 1840 that had risen to 4.5 million, with about 70 percent consumed by local commercial and domestic usage. The 1840s saw the start of a dramatic increase in the amount of coal excavated within Glamorgan. Several events took place to precipitate the growth in coal mining, including

7808-474: The county town and from 1955 the capital city of Wales, and Swansea . The highest point in the county was Craig y Llyn (600 metres (1,969 ft)) near the village of Rhigos in the Cynon Valley . Glamorgan's terrain has been inhabited by humankind for over 200,000 years. Climate fluctuation caused the formation, disappearance, and reformation of glaciers which, in turn, caused sea levels to rise and fall. At various times life has flourished, at others

7930-416: The crown. With the start of the First English Civil War , there was little support from the Welsh for the Parliamentarians. Glamorgan sent troops to join Charles I at the Battle of Edgehill , and their Member of Parliament Sir Edward Stradling was captured in the conflict. In the Second English Civil War , the war came to Glamorgan at the Battle of St Fagans (1648), where the New Model Army overcame

8052-419: The demand. The richest source for steam coal was the Rhondda Valleys, and by 1856 the Taff Vale Railway had reached the heads of both valleys. Over the next fifty years the Rhondda would grow to become the largest producer of coal of the age. In 1874, the Rhondda produced 2.13 million tons of coal, which rose to 5.8 million tons by 1884. The coal now produced in Glamorgan far exceeded the interior demand, and in

8174-442: The discovery of steam coal in the Cynon Valley , the building of a large masonry dock at Cardiff and the construction of the Taff Vale Railway . In 1845, after trials by the British Admiralty , Welsh steam coal replaced coal from Newcastle-upon-Tyne as the preferred fuel for the ships of the Royal Navy . Glamorgan steam coal quickly became a sought-after commodity for navies all over the world and its production increased to meet

8296-419: The first parliament of the United Kingdom was held in 1801; parliaments between 1707 and 1800 were either parliaments of Great Britain or of Ireland ). For acts passed up until 1707, see the list of acts of the Parliament of England and the list of acts of the Parliament of Scotland . For acts passed from 1707 to 1800, see the list of acts of the Parliament of Great Britain . See also the list of acts of

8418-434: The four-storey engine house at Cyfarthfa Ironworks (1836), were built to impress. Coal mining eventually became the dominant industry in Glamorgan and tall winding towers – originally made of timber or cast iron, later steel – became symbolic icons. After the First World War, there was an initial drop in coal and iron production, there was still enough demand to push the coalfields to their limits, helped by events such as

8540-413: The great ironworks, Penydarren Ironworks was built in 1784. These works made Merthyr Tydfil the main centre of the industry in Wales. As well as copper and iron, Glamorgan became an important centre for the tinplate industry. Although not as famous as the Llanelli or Pontypool works, a concentrated number of works emerged around Swansea, Aberavon and Neath towards the late 19th century. Glamorgan became

8662-475: The harbour at Porthcawl. The route of the tramway from Commercial Street to the Cross Inn later became the main road from the Maesteg town centre. Its unusual width is explained by the development of the railways and a road alongside it before the housing was built up. The line was 16 + 3 ⁄ 4 miles (27 km) in length and there was a fall of 490 feet (150 m), making an average gradient of 1 in 180 down to Porthcawl. The Bridgend Railway Company

8784-443: The industrialisation of the county, farming became of far less importance, with industrial areas encroaching into farming lands. In Glamorgan, from the late 19th century, there was a significant reduction away from arable land towards pasture land. There were two main factors behind this trend; firstly the increase in the population of the county required more milk and other dairy produce, in an age before refrigeration. Secondly there

8906-561: The last session of the Parliament of Great Britain and the first session of the Parliament of the United Kingdom are both cited as "41 Geo. 3". Acts passed from 1963 onwards are simply cited by calendar year and chapter number. All modern acts have a short title , e.g. the Local Government Act 2003. Some earlier acts also have a short title given to them by later acts, such as by the Short Titles Act 1896 . The third session of

9028-636: The late 19th century additions to Cardiff Castle , designed by William Burges , exemplify how Gothic was the favoured style for rich industrialists and entrepreneurs. Greek Revival architecture , popularised in France and Germany in the late 18th century, was used for a number of public and educational buildings in Wales including the Royal Institution of South Wales in Swansea (1841) and Bridgend Town Hall (1843). In 1897, Cardiff Corporation acquired land from

9150-420: The later half of the 19th century the area became a mass exporter for its product. In the 1890s the docks of South Wales accounted for 38 percent of British coal exports and a quarter of global trade. Along with the increase in coal production came a very large increase in the population, as people emigrated to the area to seek employment. In Aberdare the population grew from 6,471 in 1841 to 32,299 in 1851 while

9272-529: The limited capacity of Porthcawl harbour to handle it. Although the Llynvi Valley Railway was partly mixed gauge, the Ogmore Valley Railway was narrow (standard) gauge and the two railways were operated in close collaboration. The South Wales Railway had become part of the Great Western Railway in 1863. Use of that line to convey the mineral output away was of limited use because it was broad gauge only. The dominant partners in mining and iron operations in

9394-566: The line proceeded along the east bank of the River Llynfi to Tywith (or Ty-chwyth) and through Nantyffyllon by Heol Tywith. From there it crossed the river and followed along Bangor Terrace, behind High Street, crossing the road near the Traveller's Rest Hotel, through the Llynvi Iron Works to Llynfi Road. It then continued through Commercial Street to Bethania Street and along Llwydarth Road to

9516-510: The mineral products it carried, and in 1865 it acquired the company. The EVER opened for mineral traffic on 16 October 1865, but it was physically detached from the OVR and was in any case a broad gauge line. It was worked by the Great Western Railway as part of the Ely Valley Railway, which they also worked. It had a basic passenger service from 9 May 1881; the trains ran from Blackmill, reversing at Hendreforgan. The time seemed right for

9638-627: The most populous and industrialised county in Wales and was known as the 'crucible of the Industrial Revolution'. Other areas to house heavy industries include ironworks in Maesteg (1826), tinplate works in Llwydarth and Pontyclun and an iron ore mine in Llanharry . Alongside the metalworks, industries appeared throughout Glamorgan that made use of the works' output. Pontypridd was well known for

9760-474: The new security brought by Glamorgan coming under the protection of the crown, with only the Stradlings of St Donat's Castle electing to remain in their old ancestral home. By the 17th century, the availability of fine building stone permitted the construction of high-quality lime-washed rural cottages and farmhouses in the Vale of Glamorgan, which drew favourable remarks from travellers. A Glamorgan yeoman of

9882-664: The northern and south-western parts of the South Wales coalfield . In the second half of the 18th century four ironworks were built in Merthyr Tydfil . In 1759 the Dowlais Ironworks were established by a partnership of nine men. This was followed by the Plymouth Ironworks in 1763, which was formed by Isaac Wilkinson and John Guest , then in 1765 Anthony Bacon established the Cyfarthfa Ironworks . The fourth of

10004-561: The population of the local hamlet had tripled (Cwmdu, from 968 to 2,880). The Maesteg Iron Company later became known as the Old Works and its foundation started the large scale industrialisation of the process locally. This was followed in 1831 by the establishment by James Allen of the Spelter Works near what is now Caerau . Spelter is an ore of zinc; it was mined in Cornwall and brought to

10126-699: The present day though many are now ruinous. Of the castles built during the medieval period, those still standing above foundation level include, Caerphilly Castle , Cardiff Castle , Ogmore Castle , St Donat's Castle , St Quintins Castle , Coity Castle , Neath Castle , and Oystermouth Castle . Many of the castles within Morgannwg were attacked by forces led by Owain Glyndŵr during the Welsh Revolt of 1400–1415. Some were captured, and several were damaged to such an extent they were never maintained as defences again. When

10248-425: The prevailing winds, and it tended to be used in summer only. In 1840 a further act, the Duffryn Llynvi and Porth Cawl Railway Act 1840 ( 3 & 4 Vict. c. lxx), was obtained, enabling money to be raised for the provision of coal chutes, and the construction of a new wet dock. This considerably improved business, and the DL&PR was able to pay dividends of 8% later. Running south from Blaenllynfi Colliery

10370-478: The region are early stone monuments, waypoints and grave markers dating between the 5th and 7th century, with many being moved from their original position to sheltered locations for protection. The most notable of the early stone markers still in its original place is on a high mountain ridge at Gelligaer . Of the later plaitwork patterned standing crosses the finest and best preserved is the 9th century 'Houelt' stone at Llantwit Major . The Lordship of Glamorgan

10492-684: The sea. From the end of the last ice age (between 12,000 and 10,000 BP) Mesolithic hunter-gatherers began to migrate to the British Peninsula – through Doggerland – from the European mainland . Archaeologist Stephen Aldhouse-Green notes that while Wales has a "multitude" of Mesolithic sites, their settlements were "focused on the coastal plains", the uplands were "exploited only by specialist hunting groups". Human lifestyles in North-West Europe changed around 6000 BP; from

10614-405: The seams was through bell pits or digging horizontally into a level where the seam was exposed at a river bank or mountainside. Although initially excavated for export, coal was soon also needed for the smelting process in Britain's expanding metallurgical industries. Developments in coal mining began in the north-eastern rim of Glamorgan around the ironworks of Merthyr and in the south-west around

10736-471: The south. In running towards Tondu it curved round to the north and crossed the South Wales Railway main line by a flat crossing, but there was no inter-running connection there. The line was worked by the GWR until two engines were delivered on 4 April 1862, enabling the company to work its own traffic. The LVR terminus was first placed at the site of the later goods yard in Coity Road. Then in 1866, it crossed

10858-407: The third rail had been laid throughout the system, and the L&OR became effectively a narrow (standard) gauge railway, although broad gauge traffic to and from the Great Western Railway system was carried on the broad gauge rails, which remained in situ for the time being. Tondu Junction became the headquarters of the L&OR. A locomotive shed and workshops were erected there and Mr. J. Routledge

10980-452: The time generally lived in greater comfort than his contemporaries of the more westerly or upland parts of Wales such as Cardiganshire or north Carmarthenshire . From the mid-18th century onwards, Glamorgan's uplands underwent large-scale industrialisation and several coastal towns, in particular Swansea and later Cardiff , became significant ports. From the late 18th century until the early 20th century Glamorgan produced 70 per cent of

11102-531: The two lines combined developed considerably serving collieries and the iron and zinc smelting industries, and the L&OR system was extremely busy in conveying minerals up until 1914. A number of extensions to the system were made, even after takeover by the Great Western Railway in 1873 for management purposes and in 1883 as full amalgamation. Passengers were carried on parts of the network, but were never dominant except at Porthcawl, which declined as

11224-432: The uplands and in the coastal regions, reflecting the increasing population and the need for new cheap housing to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of workers coming into the area. As the towns urbanised and the hamlets became villages, the trappings of modern life were reflected in the buildings required to sustain new and growing communities. The period saw the appearance, not only of the works and pits themselves, but of

11346-495: The world centres of three metallurgical industries (iron, steel and copper) and its rich resources of coal. Under the Local Government Act 1972 , the county boroughs and administrative county of Glamorgan were abolished on 1 April 1974, with three new counties being established, each containing a former county borough: West Glamorgan , Mid Glamorgan , South Glamorgan . The name also survives in that of Vale of Glamorgan ,

11468-493: The year(s) of the reign during which the relevant parliamentary session was held; thus the Union with Ireland Act 1800 is cited as "39 & 40 Geo. 3 c. 67", meaning the 67th act passed during the session that started in the 39th year of the reign of George III and which finished in the 40th year of that reign. Note that the modern convention is to use Arabic numerals in citations (thus "41 Geo. 3" rather than "41 Geo. III"). Acts of

11590-447: Was John Hodgkinson. As well as conveying mineral products down to Porthcawl for shipping transport away, it was to bring limestone (used for fluxing in iron making) up from Cornelly, and also to a certain extent timber for mine use. The line was to use stone-block sleepers and cast iron fish-bellied edge rails, and the track gauge was to be 4 ft 7 in ( 1,397 mm ) and its length would be 17 miles (27 km). Capital

11712-590: Was a shortage of workers to run the mines; this in turn saw the introduction of the Bevin Boys , workers conscripted to work in the mines. During the war both Cardiff and Swansea were targets for German air attacks due to their important docks. After the First World War, Glamorgan, as was typical for Britain as a whole, entered a period of modernity, which saw buildings built and designed for functionality rather than splendour with period features watered down. As

11834-469: Was an employment shortage in farming due to the call of better paid industrial work, and pastoral land was less work intensive. Stock rearing became prominent with breeds such as Hereford , Devon and Shorthorn cattle being bred in the Vale of Glamorgan, while the unenclosed wilds of the Gower saw Welsh Ponies bred on the commons. The industrial period of Glamorgan saw a massive building program throughout

11956-484: Was applied was the University Hospital of Wales (S.W. Milburn & Partners). Begun in the 1960s, and completed in 1971, the building is the third largest hospital in the United Kingdom and the largest in Wales. It was designed to bring the care of patients, research and medical teaching together under one roof. The demands of modern living saw the growth of housing estates throughout Glamorgan, moving away from

12078-541: Was appointed the Locomotive Superintendent. The GWR converted its South Wales system to the standard gauge in 1872, although in the meantime there was increasing hostility among mineral traffic customers against the constraints of the broad gauge, such that the L&OR projected a long line from Brynmenin to Nantgarw on the Rhymney Railway in 1871. The project would have been extremely expensive, although

12200-612: Was authorised by the Bridgend Railway Act 1828 on 19 June 1828 to build a line from Bridgend to join the DL&PR at Park Slip, a little west of Tondu, to Bridgend. The capital was £6,000. The distance was 4 miles (6 km); it was sponsored by the same promoters as the DL&PR, and like the DL&PR it was a 4 ft 7 in ( 1,397 mm ) gauge edge railway, using cast iron fish-bellied rails on stone block sleepers. The line entered Bridgend along Quarella Road and terminated at The Green; very little of this line

12322-471: Was available locally and was used in the process. Cefn Cribwr had been the site of a blast furnace established by John Bedford in 1780, though that declined after Bedford's death in 1791. William Bryant took over the works in about 1825. Elsewhere though, the industry had been on a small scale. It was in 1826 that the Maesteg Iron Company was founded: the first furnace was blown in 1828 and by 1831

12444-607: Was below 2 per cent and the borough had 24,000 miners. By 1921, the number of employed miners had fallen to 16,000, and in 1934, it was down to 8,000. Steel production was no less depressed than the coal industry. The inter-war years saw the closure of the old Cyfarthfa and Dowlais works, as steel-making became increasingly concentrated in the coastal belt. Both the coal and steel industries were increasingly dominated by large amalgamations, such as Powell Duffryn and Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds . The smaller companies progressively disappeared. Glamorgan suffered disproportionately during

12566-557: Was built over an extensive settlement established by the Silures in the 50s AD. The region originated as an independent petty kingdom named Glywysing , believed to be named after a 5th-century Welsh king called Glywys , who is said to have been descended from a Roman Governor in the region. Saint Paul Aurelian was born in Glamorgan in the 6th century. The names Morgannwg ( Morgan + territorial suffix -wg , 'territory of Morgan') and Glamorgan ( gwlad + Morgan , 'land of Morgan') reputedly derive from

12688-476: Was completed. Two major groups of Neolithic architectural traditions are represented in the area: portal dolmens (e.g. St Lythans burial chamber ( Vale of Glamorgan ), and Cae'rarfau (near Creigiau )); and Severn-Cotswold chamber tombs (e.g. Parc Cwm long cairn , ( Parc le Breos Cwm , Gower Peninsula), and Tinkinswood burial chamber ( Vale of Glamorgan )), as well as tombs that do not fall easily into either group. Such massive constructions would have needed

12810-496: Was constructed almost immediately, and may originally have been intended as a transhipment siding. The Cefn Cwsc colliery and Ford's Works were located a short distance from the junction of the Junction Branch Railway on LVR territory, and extensions of the broad gauge were laid in to them. This resulted in a short length of mixed gauge 4 ft 7 in ( 1,397 mm ) and broad gauge track. However, no progress

12932-467: Was described as "Wales' finest interwar building". Although functionality often deprived a building of interest, Sully Hospital (Pite, Son & Fairweather) is an example of a building which gained from its functional requirements. Initially built for tubercular patients, whose cure required the maximum amount of light and air, the functional architecture left a striking glass-fronted building, completed in 1936. Another hospital to which functionalism

13054-404: Was devoted to more general branches of farming, cereal, grass for pasture, hay and stock raising. Non-agricultural industries were generally small scale, with some shallow coal pits, fulling mills , weaving and pottery-making. The main heavy industry of note during this period was copper smelting, and this was centred on the towns of Swansea and Neath. Although copper had been mined in Wales since

13176-499: Was engineered by R. P. Brereton, sometime the principal assistant of Isambard Kingdom Brunel . The new dock was opened on 22 July 1867. The Ely Valley Extension Railway had been authorised on 28 July 1863 to build 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles (4 km) of broad gauge railway from the Ely Valley Railway at Gellyrhaid (near Hendreforgan) to a colliery at Gilfach Goch. The Ogmore Valley Railway company sought an eastward outlet for

13298-578: Was established by Robert Fitzhamon following the defeat of Iestyn ap Gwrgant , c.  1080 . The Lordship of Morgannwg was split after it was conquered; the kingdom of Glamorgan had as its caput the town of Cardiff and took in the lands from the River Tawe to the River Rhymney. The Lordship took in four of the Welsh cantrefi , Gorfynydd , Penychen , Senghenydd and Gwynllwg . The area later known as

13420-518: Was finally completed by the powerful De Clare family, and in 1486 the kingdom was granted to Jasper Tudor . The legacy of the Marcher Lords left the area scattered with historic buildings including Norman castles, Cistercian Abbeys , churches and medieval monuments. The kingdom of Glamorgan was also notable for the number of castles built during the time of the Marcher Lords , many surviving to

13542-414: Was made in the construction of the steam railway or the conversion of the DL&PR for some years, and it was not until 18 June 1855 that the Llynvi Valley Railway Act 1855 ( 18 & 19 Vict. c. l) was obtained authorising the LVR's intentions. These included a new line from Tywith down to Ffos Toll House west of Tondu, and in addition a new line 3 miles (5 km) long from Tondu to a junction with

13664-512: Was no connection between them, and the stations were not close together. The Bridgend Railway route fell into disuse and later became used as a roadway; this was also the fate of parts of the DL&PR in the upper Llynfi valley. Industrialists in the Ogmore Valley wanted a railway connection, and an act of Parliament, the Cardiff and Ogmore Valley Railway Act 1873 ( 36 & 37 Vict. c. cxlvii),

13786-413: Was not completed until 1927 due to the First World War. Designed to reflect sympathetically in dimensions with its neighbouring city hall, the dome-topped museum combines many architectural motifs with Doric columns at its facade, while internally a large entrance hall with stairs, landings and balconies. Percy Thomas ' Guildhall in Swansea, an example of the 'stripped modernist' style completed in 1936,

13908-457: Was obtained on 13 July 1863 to construct a railway from Tondu (on the LVR) through Brynmenyn and Blackmill to Nantymoel. The railway, known as the Ogmore Valley Railway, was 7 miles (11 km) in length. Capital was to be £90,000. A significant decision was taken to construct it on the narrow (standard) gauge, and there were powers to lay a third rail (to make mixed gauge) between Tondu and Porthcawl over

14030-553: Was one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales in the south of Wales . Originally an early medieval petty kingdom of varying boundaries known in Welsh as Morgannwg (or Glywysing ), which was then invaded and taken over by the Normans as the Lordship of Glamorgan . The area that became known as Glamorgan was both a rural, pastoral area, and a conflict point between the Norman lords and

14152-416: Was operated on the line, and the passing places were designated. Each train was pulled by a team of three horses. As a toll railway the line was open to private carriers who paid tolls for the use of the line; the company did not operate trains nor own wagons of their own. However it was becoming apparent that the harbour improvements at Porthcawl were inadequate, not doing enough to shelter vessels there from

14274-481: Was promoted. It would run directly down the Llynfi valley to Tondu, and then run west past Pyle to join the proposed South Wales Railway at Margam . The name of the company was changed during the parliamentary hearings and it was the Llynvi Valley Railway that was incorporated on 7 August 1846 by the Llynvi Valley Railway Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. cccliii), with authorised capital of £200,000. It

14396-441: Was removed after the opening of the LVR, the only connection with the SWR then being at Bridgend. (The plateway known as the Bridgend Railway was entirely separate at this stage.) At first the LVR made its only connection with the South Wales Railway at Stormy, east of Pyle; at the time this was a very remote location. The LVR alignment at Pyle was parallel to the South Wales Railway, but distanced from it by 100 yards (90 m), to

14518-514: Was the second part of Wales, after Gwent, to fall under the control of the Normans and was frequently the scene of fighting between the Marcher Lords and Welsh princes. The earliest buildings of note included earthwork dykes and rudimentary motte-and-bailey hillside defences. All that remains of these fortifications are foundations that leave archaeological evidence of their existence, though many were built upon to create more permanent defensive structures. The earliest surviving structures within

14640-471: Was to acquire the DL&PR and convert it to modern railway standards, and to introduce locomotive operation. As the South Wales Railway was being built on the broad gauge and was to be the only main line railway in the vicinity, the Llynvi Valley Railway was to adopt the broad gauge as well. The LVR acquired the DL&PR in 1847, ratified by the Llynvi Valley Railway Act 1847 ( 10 & 11 Vict. c. ccxcv), passed on 22 July. DL&PR shareholders got

14762-407: Was used for the later Tondu branch line railway. The line opened on 22 October 1830. The Duffryn Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway and the Bridgend Railway were simply horse-operated tramroads using primitive stone-block sleepers and cast iron rails, and as the volume of mineral activity increased, they were overwhelmed by the business offered. By the mid 1840s railway technology had advanced considerably;

14884-446: Was £40,000 and this was all subscribed before the act was passed, but obtaining a mortgage loan proved much more difficult, and a further act of 14 May 1829, the Duffryn, Llynvi and Porthcawl Railway Act 1829 ( 10 Geo. 4 . c. xxxviii), was required to elevate the priority of the mortgage payments in order to secure the loans. Construction of the line only began in 1826, and the line from

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