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80-534: Towns and villages include Clydach , Pontardawe , Ystradgynlais , Ystalyfera and Abercraf . In its September 2005 document Towards a Valleys Strategy , Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council noted that a marked divide between the more remote communities at Ystalyfera and along the Twrch and Amman valleys and the reasonably prosperous southern communities of Pontardawe, Alltwen , Rhos , and Trebanos . The area has had no rail connection since passenger services on

160-458: A 2nd school being built just a little farther up the same street. The St John's School was by this point being used as a Sunday school and not for general education. There was a Clydach woollen factory not far from the schools on a road named 'Prince Llewellyn Street' or as it is now known 'Factory Road'. St Mary's Church is not on this map and is shown as a blank open space. In 1918 the Sunday school

240-738: A canal route was extended from Garthmyl to Newtown in 1821, which provided an important link to the Shropshire canal. However, due to lack of capital the factories often went bankrupt when trade turned down. When steam power began to be used by the Yorkshire woollen industry the Severn Valley mills were at a disadvantage, since they did not have nearby supplies of coal. In 1835 the Montgomeryshire weaving towns still had only four power looms. The 1840 Parliamentary Gazetteer wrote of Montgomeryshire that

320-457: A fair living by it, but a man can never get rich at it." The number of active mills dropped from 250 in 1926 to 81 in 1947 and 24 in 1974, increasingly concentrated in industrial centres. However, the invention of the double weave and light tweeds caused significant growth in demand for Welsh textiles. When Burberry bought the Treorchy plant in the 1980s, 75% of the workers were women. The plant

400-409: A few mills continue to operate today. Sheep shearing was a major social event on Welsh farms. The fleece would be removed intact, then carefully folded to make it easier to sort out the different grades of wool at the mill. The quality of wool depends on the individual sheep and on the part of the sheep's body from which the wool has been taken. The common Welsh Mountain sheep are hardy and thrive in

480-561: A nine-hole course (dating back to the 1960s) that was intended to be a resource exclusively for INCO (Clydach Refinery) employees, the course now welcomes golfers of all ages and abilities throughout the year. The club is nestled in the historic Swansea Valley bordered on one side by the River Tawe and by the Swansea Canal. It was renamed Mond Valley Golf Club in May 2012 after Vale Europe outsourced

560-470: A number of fully serviced offices rented by local businesses. The City & County of Swansea's Lifelong Learning department & Swansea University's Dept of Adult Continuing Education use the centre to run a number of adult education classes . In 2011 the City & County of Swansea opened the 'Waterfall View' day service at Forge Fach. In 2013, Cwmni Clydach Development Trust went into administration, leaving

640-683: A railway line had instead connected the Severn Valley to the south Wales coalfield the mid-Wales woollen industry could have been supported by demand for flannel from the miners, as were the woollen mills of the Teifi valley in the later part of the 19th century. During the Industrial Revolution the Teifi Valley between Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire came to employ thousands of weavers, spinners, dyers, knitters, drapers and tailors. The river and its tributaries powered dozens of mills, and sheep in

720-634: A three-school system, the other partners being Gwaen-Cae-Gurwen Lower School and Cwmtawe Upper School in Pontardawe. The lower schools were for 11- to 13-year-olds while the last three years of compulsory education were provided in Pontardawe. Today Clydach is in the catchment area of Birchgrove Comprehensive School. However, many students from Clydach attend Cwmtawe Community School in Pontardawe. A number of football teams – including Inco, Clydach Sports, and Sunnybank WMC – play in Clydach, most of them as members of

800-638: A year from Ystalyfera to Swansea port. The canal remained profitable until 1902, when losses were first reported. This decline in revenue and profits was largely due to the competition from its rival the Swansea Vale Railway . The last commercial cargo carried on the Swansea Canal was in 1931 when coal was conveyed from Clydach to Swansea. Boats continued to operate on the canal after that date but only for maintenance work, with horse-drawn boats last recorded in Clydach in 1958. Only 5 miles (8.0 km) of

880-581: Is a parish of the Church in Wales , the parish church being St. Mary's on High Street. Other English language churches include Lighthouse Church (Assemblies of God), Bethel Evangelical Church, and St. Benedicts (Roman Catholic). Two Welsh language chapels remain in Clydach: Calfaria (Welsh Baptist) and Capel y Nant (Welsh Independents). Capel y Nant was formed in 2008 and meets at the former Carmel Chapel. The church

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960-563: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Powys location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Clydach, Swansea Clydach is both a village and a community in Swansea , Wales , within the Clydach ward and the Llangyfelach parish. It is located 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Swansea city centre. In 2011, the population was 7,503. Welsh

1040-429: Is a coarse woollen cloth that usually has a nap on one side. It was hard-wearing and well-suited for outer garments, and was popular with working men. Cloth was made in many places in Wales, particularly the south west and the northern and southern borderlands. In 1447, there was a guild of weavers and fullers in the lordship of Ruthin, and in the 1460s, at least five fulling mills were operating in this location. The cloth

1120-476: Is now being converted into a dwelling house by a local resident, whose family have lived in the village for the past 100 years. Also in Clydach is Bethania English Baptist Church, Graig-felin. The Reverend Valentine Evans, who wrote the History of Clydach at the beginning of the 20th century, is buried in its cemetery. A Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses located on Capel Road is one of the oldest in Wales. Originally

1200-564: Is served by National Cycle Route 43 . Major work has recently been undertaken on part of the cycle route between Clydach and Glais. The lottery-funded Sustrans laid a new tarmac path for pedestrians and cyclists, which begins alongside the River Tawe, behind the Vardre Rugby Club, and ends at Station Road in Glais. The tarmac path was mainly built on space used by abandoned railway tracks. Clydach Primary school and Graigfelen Primary schools are

1280-478: Is still showing on the map under the area name of Vardre close to Mount Pleasant and Graig Felin was known as Aber-Clydach. The top of Clydach near Lone Road and Bryn Mair was named Upper Forge not yet having its slang title of 'Sunny Bank' with the locals. Note: Sunny Bank does not appear by name on any maps seen to date (June 2012). In the early 19th century, Clydach was a small village in the Swansea Valley . As

1360-538: Is the first language of 24 per cent of the population and both Welsh and English language schools are available. The village lies close to the M4 motorway which can be accessed via the bypass or old road via Ynystawe . The community includes part of the village of Glais . In the 1800s, Clydach was a very small community if it could even be called that. Maps from then show Clydach to consist of sub-areas namely 'Mount Pleasant' (the area by high street shops), 'Faerdre' (covering

1440-599: The Neath & District League . Clydach are members of the tier four West Wales Premier League . Vardre RFC is a sporting venue in Clydach and Clydach's younger residents train out on the pitches behind the building over the canal. They have 1st, 2nd, Youth and junior teams. The 1st team currently play in division 1 of the WRU West Central League Woollen industry in Wales The woollen industry in Wales

1520-463: The Swansea Vale Railway line between Swansea and Brynamman via Ystalyfera ceased in 1952. The A4067 road links Swansea and Brecon . The Upper Swansea valley is the site of Dan yr Ogof Caves, claimed to be the largest show cave complex in Western Europe . South of Abercrave, the valley was formerly a region of heavy industry including coal mining and iron-making and there is plenty of

1600-522: The 1860s, the weaving industry grew in villages in south-west Wales, which did well until the 1920s. Skilled workers moved from mid-Wales to the Teifi Valley, mainly to the area around Dre-fach Felindre , Pentrecwrt , Henllan and Llandysul . A railway was opened from Carmarthen to Lampeter in 1864, and large mills were developed such as the Alltcafan and Derw factories at Pentrecwrt. Dre-fach Felindre

1680-539: The 18th century a transition was under way to textile production in workshops run by businessmen. However, the technological revolution took much longer in Wales than it had in England, with slow adoption of machinery. Until the latter part of the 18th century carding and spinning was done at home, and weaving in the village ty-gwydd (loom house), although fulling was done by machine in fulling mills. A 1799 report said The chief staple commodities of North Wales, as well as of

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1760-446: The 18th century. In the last decades of the 18th century, there was a great expansion of woollen production. Sales of stockings at Bala rose from £10,000 to £18,000 annually, and the annual profit of flannel sales in Montgomeryshire was more than £40,000. At first, much of the cloth was shipped via Shrewsbury and London, but later the specialized Atlantic port of Bristol became the main place from which Welsh plains were shipped across

1840-554: The Atlantic. Over time, factors from Liverpool and Bristol took control of the trade away from the Shrewsbury drapers. Instead of the weavers carrying their cloth to the market towns, the factors came to them to buy the cloth. The factors would extend credit to the poorer weavers so they could buy wool. The Shrewsbury Drapers were losing their control of the trade by 1770. The port of Barmouth exported woollen products worth £50,000 around

1920-597: The Cambrian Mills burned down in 1912 Newtown was no longer an important woollen industrial centre and many of the workers moved elsewhere. Welsh tweed manufacture survived at a much reduced level into the 20th century in Montgomery, where the area around Rhayader retained mills in the villages and small towns. Newtown continued to make flannel, although Rochdale in northwest England took market share with its "real Welch flannel." J. Geraint Jenkins has speculated that if

2000-521: The Tawe River and gave Clydach its original name, Clydach-on-Tawe. Clydach is the equivalent of the Irish word Cladaugh, meaning sandy bend/strand. The centre opened in 2006. It provides a range of facilities including a community café, a full day care nursery (Forge Fach Day Nursery), a multi-purpose hall, ICT suite, training & conferencing facilities plus an external multi-use games area. In addition there are

2080-645: The Welsh woollen industry was slow to mechanise compared to the mills of northern England. When railways reached mid Wales in the 1860s they brought a flood of cheap mass-produced products that destroyed the local industry. However, development of the South Wales Coalfield opened a growing market for woollen products from water-powered mills in the south west, which prospered until after World War I . At one time, there were more than 300 working wool mills . The industry went into steady decline after World War I, and only

2160-531: The West Indies." Before 1800, there were very few factories in Wales, and almost all production was at home. As trans-Atlantic demand for Welsh cloth grew, growing numbers of people in the rural areas of Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire became dependent on the woollen industry, finding that spinning and weaving gave a larger and more stable income than farming. Some hamlets grew into woollen manufacturing centres. For example, Trefeglwys tripled in size during

2240-463: The alternating pasturage of animals". This seems to refer to transhumance , or seasonal movement of shepherds with their flocks, and if so is the earliest mention in Britain. The 10th century Welsh laws of King Hywel Dda allocate pigs to the husband and sheep to the wife. In the summer the pigs were kept in the woods while the wife took the sheep and the children to the highlands. The wife also controlled

2320-580: The area nearest to Vardre Road), 'Down' the area that was once 'Down Farm' which is now land laying behind the Farmer's Arms, Clydach and below 'Ty gwyn Road'. There was also an area called Ty Gwyn as Ty Gwyn/White House was present on the land. The road leading to Ty Gwyn is now Ty Gwyn Road and also 'Coed Cae-Du' near Craig Cefn Parc. The map of c. 1878 Clydach (which can be viewed at the Archive Service at Swansea Civic Centre ) shows that number 1 St John's Road

2400-503: The arrangement of post-holes may indicate they supported looms. For example, a Bronze Age weaving comb was found in the Ogof yr Esgyrn cave in Glyntawe . The Romans probably imported the white breed characteristic of Welsh sheep today. The sheep at this time would have been much more variable than modern breeds, which have been carefully selected for specific characteristics. In the early days

2480-466: The canal's original length of 16 miles (26 km) remain. The end of the 19th century and the early 20th century saw a significant growth in the village's population. With the opening of the Mond in 1902 the village experienced significant growth as the factory became the main employer within the village. The figures below show the population for the parish of Rhyndwyglydach. The population has recovered from

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2560-409: The cloth by fulling , napping and pressing. Spinning and weaving of sheep's wool dates to prehistoric times in Wales, but only became an important industry when Cistercian monasteries were established in the 12th century. Water-powered fulling mills to finish the cloth enabled rapid expansion of the industry in the 13th century, although spinning and weaving continued to be a cottage industry. In

2640-461: The coal in the South Wales Valleys was a valuable commodity during the Industrial Revolution , Clydach experienced growth as a through road for transporting goods between Swansea and the many mines and heavy metal industries. The 16-mile (26 km) long Swansea Canal was built through the centre of Clydach between 1794 and 1798. It was constructed to transport up to 400,000 tonnes of coal

2720-427: The cold and wet conditions of the Welsh highlands. The wool is soft and may have kemp and black, grey or red fibres, which makes it attractive in tweeds and upholstery. Staple length is 5 to 15 centimetres (2.0 to 5.9 in). Black Welsh Mountain sheep had mutton that was prized for its quality, and produced valuable Cochddu wool with a staple length of 8 to 10 centimetres (3.1 to 3.9 in). After sorting,

2800-454: The dairy, and took the milking and cheese making equipment. Divorce remained an option in Wales longer than elsewhere in Britain. It was assumed that the woman deserved a share of the lambs and calves. In the Middle Ages , sheep were probably kept mainly for their milk and wool rather than their meat. Sheep do not seem to have been important to the Welsh economy before the 12th century, when

2880-584: The drapers of Shrewsbury, who now principally enjoy this branch of commerce. By the end of the century, the market in Shrewsbury had almost ceased, and in March 1803 the Company gave up the great room in which the trading had been conducted. In 1804 report by Mr. Evans of his tour through north Wales said, The webbs used to be carried to Liverpool or Shrewsbury to market; but the Liverpool dealers have now persons in pay on

2960-516: The early 16th century, production shifted from south Wales to mid and north Wales. The Shrewsbury Drapers Company in England took a dominant role in distributing Welsh cloth. In the 18th century, there was strong demand for cheap and sturdy Welsh material shipped from Bristol, Liverpool, or the Welsh ports to clothe slaves in the British colonies in the Americas. During the Industrial Revolution in Wales ,

3040-1095: The first Cistercian monasteries were established in Wales. Tintern Abbey in the Wye valley was founded for monks of the Cistercian order by Walter FitzRichard , lord of Netherwent and Striguil , on 9 May 1131. All abbeys of the order were to be built in remote rural locations, and had to be simple and unadorned. The order expanded rapidly. Tintern was followed by Whitland (1140), its offshoot Strata Florida (1164), Strata Marcella (1170) in Powys Wenwynwyn , Cwmhir (1176) in Maelienydd , Llantarnam (1179) near Caerleon , Aberconwy (1186) in Gwynedd , Cymer (1198) in Merionethshire and Valle Crucis (1202) in Powys Fadog . The monks were granted extensive lands for sheep grazing and were

3120-515: The flannel makers were facing competition from Lancashire imitation flannels, although these were not as good as the Welsh. Hand looms were preferred to power looms for the finer qualities of flannel, and experiments with power looms at Newport and Welshpool had been abandoned. Welsh wool had much improved in quality, but Radnorshire or South Devon wool was still best for flannel manufacture. The farmers, especially around Llanbrynmair , employed their agricultural labourers in spinning and weaving in

3200-419: The future of Forge Fach uncertain. Swansea Council has assumed temporary control of the facility. A local campaign group called for Forge Fach to be turned into a health, leisure, wellbeing and swimming centre. In October 2015, the resource centre was taken over by Walsingham Support, a national disability charity, supporting adults with learning disabilities, brain injury and complex health needs. 2006 saw

3280-660: The greater part of Denbighshire, they are still less disposed to the exercise of the wheel and the loom. ... In other parts of Denbighshire, in the south west of Meirionyddshire and Montgomeryshire, the inhabitants have imbibed more of the spirit of industry; and add the profits of manufacture to the value of the raw material... Mill owners were not always men. There are records of three women mill owners in Wales in 1840, Mary Powell with 16 looms and 8 men, Ann Harris with 14 employees including 6 men, and Ann Whiled with 9 employees. Large spinning mills continued to operate in Llangollen in

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3360-470: The home to the Nixon and Bell Drift mine. It was affectionately known as Nixon's and was one of the main employers until 1960–1961. It was used after as a pumping station. The colliery was a rock top colliery and there was even a steam boiler underground, which was rare in a colliery. Little remains of the colliery now, and there is a walk up the valley past other remnants of other NCB and private mines. Clydach

3440-472: The industrial heritage surviving; the Swansea Canal was built along the valley in the late 18th century to serve the nascent local industries. In 1878 opera singer Adelina Patti made her home at Craig-y-Nos Castle . 51°45′33″N 3°47′23″W  /  51.7593°N 3.7898°W  / 51.7593; -3.7898 This Swansea location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Neath Port Talbot location article

3520-749: The link from the rural south west to the industrial south. The woollen industry flourished in South Wales until the end of World War I (1914–18), with high prices during the war. At one time there were more than 300 active woollen mills. The woollen mills of the Teifi valley were hard-hit by the drop in purchasing power of miners during the depression in the coal trade of the 1920s. In the inter-war period (1918–39) most woollen manufacturers did not adapt to changes in fashion and were forced to close. Small clusters of hand loom weaving survived in places such as Lampeter where there were spinners and fullers, making quality goods. A weaver said of this work, "One can make

3600-406: The main primary schools for residents. There is also a Welsh medium primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Gellionnen, on Gellionnen Road, and a Roman Catholic primary school, St Joseph's, on Pontardawe Road. As of September 2012, Clydach Infants and Clydach Juniors are now one school (Clydach Primary School). The village used to be home to Cwmtawe Lower Comprehensive School. It was the junior part of

3680-706: The management. Following the demolition of the old Clydach swimming pool, the Cwmni Clydach Development Trust, commissioned a new multi purpose community resource centre at Forge Fach, at a cost of approximately £1.8 million, funded by the Welsh Assembly Government, City & County of Swansea & Clydach Community Council. Forge Fach is situated next to the Forge Fach Waterfalls, part of the Lower Clydach River, which runs into

3760-430: The mid-19th century. The fleece could be "dyed-in-the-wool", the fibre could be dyed after being spun, or the fabric could be dyed after being woven. Sheep farming in Wales dates to prehistoric times. There is evidence of spinning and weaving in late prehistoric houses throughout Britain, particularly in the later first millennium B.C.. Finds include scraps of fabric, loom-weights, spindle-whorls and bone needles, and

3840-582: The mill owners in Llanidloes and Newtown invested heavily in buildings and steam-powered machinery. They hoped that the railway, which reached the towns between 1861 and 1863, would give them access to new markets. In fact, the railway caused mass-produced goods from northern England to flood into central Wales. Newtown, which once was called the "Leeds of Wales", went into decline from the 1860s. There were periods of renewed prosperity. The Cambrian Mills in Newtown

3920-603: The nation at large, are those manufactured of wool. ... In Anglesey, the inhabitants buy quantities of the Snowdon coarse wool, at the fairs of Caernarvon, and Bangor; out of which, mixed with their own wool, they manufacture deep blue coloured cloth, flannels, blankets, &c. a sufficience for home use and no more. ... In Caernarvonshire, they apply themselves somewhat more to spinning and weaving; for, besides supplying themselves with wearing apparel, they annually send several pieces of blue cloth into Meirionyddshire ... In Flintshire, and

4000-577: The new woollen industry was initially in south east Wales drawing on sheep from the monasteries of Margam , Neath and Tintern, and the flocks of the Bohun family , which produced 18,500 fleeces in 1372. Fulling mills were later established elsewhere in Wales, particularly in the north east and the Ceiriog valley. In 1380, the lordship of Ruthin in Denbighshire had 36 weavers. However, the period from 1350 to 1400

4080-678: The north throughout the 19th century. For example, the Trefriw Woollen Mills , originally called the Vale of Conwy Woollen Mill, was built in 1820 on the banks of the Afon Crafnant . Thomas Williams purchased the mill in 1859 and expanded the business. Products from the woollen mills were taken to the coast from the quay at Trefiw using the River Conwy . A 36 feet (11 m) diameter overshot wheel powered spinning mules and jennies . The yarn

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4160-609: The opening of the Old Public Hall, which was converted into an indoor climbing centre and was renamed 'Dynamic Rock'. It is now home to the Swansea Indoor Climbing Centre . The walls are 12m high and feature overhangs, slabs, pillars, arêtes and arches. The Cwm Clydach RSPB Reserve is situated on the outskirts of the village, en route to Craig Cefn Parc near the New Inn pub. The Cwm Clydach nature reserve used to be

4240-521: The pioneers of the woollen industry in Wales. The invention of the water-powered fulling mill in the Later Middle Ages caused an industrial revolution in Wales . In the century that preceded the Black Death , the monastic landowners and manorial lords built fulling mills in eastern Wales, with up to 80 operating before 1350. Sometimes a fulling mill and gristmill would share the same building or

4320-565: The power cells of the Toyota Prius ; production has since moved to a plant in China. The plant was the heart of the village and one of the largest employers in the Swansea Valley for many years. By 1910 over 40% of the village's population worked in the refinery. Today, with improvements in processing and a rationalisation of products, the refinery now employs just over 240 people, equating to 3% of

4400-516: The raw wool would often be soaked in a 50–50 solution of human urine and water, then passed through a willy to untangle it and remove foreign matter. Carding completed the disentangling process, creating rolls of wool called rovings . The fibres in the roving were then spun into woollen yarn . Spinning machines were introduced in the 19th century. The spun fibre would then be woven into cloth, which would be finished by washing and drying, fulling , napping and pressing. Natural dyes were used until

4480-411: The reduction seen in the early 1980s following the demise of mining and the heavy metal industries. The village's population was approximately 7,500 on 23 February 2010 and a population of 10,830 on 28 July 2011. The population of Clydach, Glamorgan, Wales, UK on 6 May 2012 is approximately 12,593. The town benefited from Clydach War Memorial Hospital until it closed in 2015. The main redbrick building

4560-476: The road, new flagstones to replace tarmac pavements, new trees, new seats and cycle racks. Work was commissioned by Cwmni Clydach Development Trust , with funding for the schemes provided by the Welsh Development Agency and Swansea City Council. A grant of over £130,000 was made available for local high street businesses to improve the frontage to their stores. Clydach refinery , known as 'the Mond',

4640-452: The same leat and mill pond . There would be a tenter yard outside the fulling mill where the cloth was stretched on frames. Woollen manufacturing became one of the main rural industries in Wales. Most Welsh cottages and farmhouses had a spinning wheel, almost always operated by women, and most parishes had carders, spinners, weavers and fullers. However, most of the production were for personal use rather than for sale. The main centre of

4720-677: The sheep were not shorn, but the wool was collected when the sheep moulted in the summer, either by plucking it from their fleece or collecting it where it had been rubbed off on a tree or rock. Excavations have been made at the Dinas Powys hillfort in Glamorgan of what seems to have been the court of an important ruler in the 5th and 6th centuries A.D. The bones of sheep were found, but there seems to have been little spinning and weaving. The 6th century writer Gildas , thought by some to have lived in Wales, mentioned "mountains particularly suitable for

4800-463: The spot, to purchase of the makers; and to assist the poorer manufacturers with money to carry on their trade ... Since this, the drapers of Shrewsbury are obliged to go up to the country, and purchase the articles in small quantities at farms and cottages. After undergoing the operation of scouring, bleaching, and milling, it is packed up in large bales, and sent to Shrewsbury, Liverpool, and London; and thence exported to Germany, Russia and America. By

4880-471: The surrounding grassland supplied fleeces to be made into woollen products. In 1837 a Working Men's Association was established in the south Wales weaving town of Carmarthen in response to the Chartist campaign for democratic rights. By the summer of 1839 three more towns in the region had founded such societies, and the first Chartist convention had been held. While manufacturing declined in mid-Wales after

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4960-488: The time of Queen Elizabeth, the trade was so great, that not fewer than 600 persons maintained themselves by this occupation. The cloth was sent chiefly to America to clothe the negroes, or to Flanders, where it is used by the peasants. At present the greatest part of this traffick is diverted into other channels, and not more than four or five hundred thousand yards are brought to the ancient mart. Flannels both coarse and fine are purchased at Welsh-Pool, on every other Monday, by

5040-537: The town and neighbourhood, affording considerable employment to a number of men, who weave the flannel at their own dwellings. Pryce Pryce-Jones of Newtown began a mail-order business in flannels in 1859, a very innovative move for the time. He was at first extremely successful, and the London and North Western Railway ran a daily service with special vans to carry his products to Euston station in London. Between 1850 and 1870

5120-505: The trade. The Welsh cloth makers, who lacked capital, produced poor quality drapery for which there was relatively low demand. In 1660, wool made up two thirds of Welsh exports. Slaveowners in the West Indies and the American colonies found that slaves were more productive if they were clothed. William Lee of Virginia stated that "Good Welch cotton seems upon the whole to answer best", and others were "light and insufficient." The main market

5200-505: The upper Severn Valley in Powys . Towns such as Welshpool , Newtown and Llanidloes tripled in size and became industrial towns, although they were dwarfed by the English centres of Bradford and Leeds . Improvements were made in the transportation network during the 1830s. A new road was opened between Builth and Newtown, enabling flannel to be transported by cart to South Wales. Additionally,

5280-481: The village's population. The refinery has been progressive in ensuring the reduction of emissions and pollutants. The River Tawe , which runs alongside the refinery, is once again home to breeding salmon and trout . The refinery is, however, a top-tier Control of Major Accident Hazard Regulations ( COMAH ) site, due to the inherent nature of its process. There are a number of churches and chapels in Clydach, serving both English and Welsh language speakers. Clydach

5360-557: The winter months. The gazetteer noted that, "the principle of total abstinence from intoxicating liquors has much benefited the weavers in this county : they were formerly notorious for inebriety and improvidence." In 1838 there were 61 mills in the county, mainly water-powered, employing 507 males and 216 females. In 1847 Llanidloes was continuing to grow despite competition from Newtown. The Cambrian Mirror reported that, "There are now more than 40 carding engines, 18 fulling mills, and nearly 35,000 spindles, constantly in operation in

5440-411: The world in the 1770s. An author wrote of Shrewsbury in the 1790s, From very early days this place possessed almost exclusively the trade with Wales in a coarse kind of woollen cloth called Welsh webbs, which were brought from Merioneth and Montgomeryshire to a market held here weekly on Thursdays. They were afterwards dressed, that is, the wool raised on one side, by a set of people called Shearmen. At

5520-417: Was at Shrewsbury. The demand for colours was limited. In the 1730s, a Charleston merchant ordered "White, Bleue, & Green plains for Negro Clothing." The South Carolina "Negro Act" of 1735 commended "white Welsh plains" and outlawed rich or colourful materials that might be discarded by the slave masters. In the 1770s one observer said the whole purpose of Welsh woollens was "covering the poor Negroes in

5600-470: Was at times the country's most important industry, though it often struggled to compete with the better-funded woollen mills in the north of England, and almost disappeared during the 20th century. There is continued demand for quality Welsh woollen products. Wool processing includes removing the fleece by shearing , classing the wool by quality, untangling, carding and spinning it into yarn , which may be knitted or woven into cloth, then finishing

5680-411: Was built by Ludwig Mond the inventor of the nickel carbonyl process at the turn of the 20th century. It started production in 1902. It is Europe ’s largest nickel refinery . It is 100% owned by Vale and produces nickel powder, nickel pellets and other various nickel-coated materials. It also has a nickel foam production plant that until recently was the sole provider of the nickel foam required in

5760-526: Was closed in March 2007. As of 2013 there were just nine commercial woollen mills still in operation, often run by small families producing traditional Welsh cloth on old looms. Although demand for their products is high, there are few apprentices entering the industry. The Cambrian Woollen Mill at Dre-fach Felindre was acquired by the state in 1976 for the Museum of the Welsh Woollen Industry, now named

5840-402: Was converted into apartments for ex-servicemen and women in 2017. Eight houses and two bungalows have been built on the land as part of an affordable housing scheme led by Pobl Group, a homeless charity operating in South Wales. The centre of Clydach High Street, the main commercial area of the town has had major investments in improving its facilities. These include reshaping and resurfacing of

5920-404: Was created through the uniting of Hebron and Carmel Independent Chapels. Capel y Nant also welcomes members of Salem Fardre Presbyterian Church, and is in partnership with Clydach English language Methodist Church. A number of Welsh-speaking churches/chapels in the community have recently closed, though their buildings still remain. These include St. John's (High Street), Hebron (Hebron Road) which

6000-799: Was difficult, with recurrences of the plague and heavy taxation to pay for the war with France. Between 1350 and 1500, an average of 50 fulling mills were operational. The reduced number was due to the unsettled state of the country before, during and after the Glyndŵr Rising (1400–15). The quality of wool depended on the local breeds of sheep. In the 15th century, south-east Wales produced particularly high quality wool. Margam in West Glamorgan and Tintern in Monmouthshire were noted for their excellent wool. According to Thomas Fuller 's Church History , Wales specialized in manufacturing friezes . A frieze

6080-490: Was once called "The Huddersfield of Wales" for its wool industry. The Cambrian Mills in this village made blankets, shawls, stockings and other products for local sale and for export. The water-powered factories in the south west were completely dependent on demand from the nearby South Wales coalfield , whose workers preferred Welsh goods. They could not compete with the mills of northern England in other markets. The Teifi Valley Railway , opened in 1895, further strengthened

6160-422: Was originally the old 'St John's School for Girls, Boys and Infants', which was linked to St John's Church near the shops at Capel Buildings near the Mond. A second school is shown where the current building of Clydach Infants stands which is also for girls/boys and infants. On a map dated 1899 Clydach has grown substantially to have a larger community base with the school on Twyn-y-Bedw Road being expended upon and

6240-521: Was purchased in 1866 by the Cambrian Flannel Company of Newtown and Llanidloes, which modernized the factory so it was the most advanced facility in Wales and diversified into making plain and coloured flannels, shawls, whittles, hose and tweeds . Later the Newtown woollen industry again went into decline. The Pryce-Jones "Welsh" flannel was eventually mostly made in Rochdale , Lancashire. After

6320-478: Was sold locally, in border town markets and in the yearly Bartholomew Fair in London. Welsh friezes were also exported from Welsh ports or from Bristol . In the early 16th century, cloth for export was mainly produced in south Wales and shipped from the local ports. During that century there was a shift in production to mid-Wales and north Wales, and the woollen production was exported via Shrewsbury in Shropshire. The Shrewsbury Drapers Company tightly controlled

6400-401: Was then woven into cloth on hand looms. A smaller 7 feet (2.1 m) wheel powered a fulling mill, which washed the cloth and kneaded it with wooden hammers to thicken and strengthen it. The mill was still in operation (in a newer building) as of 2016. Between 1800 and 1830 many spinning and weaving factories were built in mid-Wales in places where water power was available, particularly in

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