Abertillery History

The Six Bells Children’s Swimming Paddling Pool. Owing to the success of the Six Bells Lido, the need for a children’s pool was debated and the women of Six Bells banded together to form a group to raise funds and to receive donations in their quest to have a small paddling pool constructed in the Cwm Llwydrew valley close to …

Officers of the Good Templars Lodge Cwmtillery 1870’s. Back Row – Mr T. Gulliford; Mr W. Parfitt; Mr T. Cooper; Mr Silas Cooper; Mr H. Ludlow Wiltshire and Mr G. Cooper: Front Row – Mr Eli Taylor; Mr J. Pierce and Mr Enoch Hill.

Cwmtillery Colliery Feeder – Cwmtillery Lake. The Cwmtillery Lake was man-made as a colliery feeder and constructed by one of the Cwmtillery Colliery owners, more than probably Mr Thomas Brown or Mr John Russell. Over the years the feeder has changed shape and size owing to the fact that the colliery and level waste tips that built up around the …

Abertillery Tennis Club and Courts. I am not sure when the sport of tennis was first introduced and played at Abertillery. I believe that it began on the Barn Field at Abertillery. In the early days, the Barn Field was used for the sport of rugby and tennis, although the local tennis players who used the fields desperately needed their …

Mr John Ward Williams. Mr John Ward Williams was the founder of the Iron Foundry at Abertillery. Mr J. Ward Williams was born in 1830 at Aberystruth. His father was Mr Crawshay Bailey’s manager at the Iron Works, Nantyglo. There is a Mr Ward Williams residing in Nantyglo on the 1854 Electoral Register. The Abertillery Iron Foundry. It’s believed that …

Abertillery Steam Saw Mills and Mr Arthur Tilney. Mr Arthur Tilney was born in November 1843 at Kirby Bedon, Norwich, Norfolk. The son of Mr Robert Tilney of Norwich, a young Arthur attended the local school and was educated by the Rev Dr Purnell. At 17 years of age, he left Norwich on medical advice and came to settle in …

Reading Miners Support Group Newsletter. The N.U.M. Representatives of Rose Heyworth Colliery were based in Kings Road Transport & General Workers Union Offices, Reading, Berkshire from about May to September 1984. We were attending union meetings, street collections and other fund-raising activities to get financial aid for the Blaenau Gwent Food Fund. We were well accepted by the community and …

The Western Valley’s Railless Traction Trolley Bus Scheme. The Railless Traction Trolley Bus Scheme was the introduction of a bus service with the vehicles powered by electricity through the means of overhead electric wire system. Other than the electric power, the buses were normal transport vehicles with rubber tyres. Each bus had an overhead hanger cradle incorporated to ensure a …

Abertillery Railway Stations. In the 1830’s – 1840’s the old tram road from Newport to Nantyglo passed through Abertillery. The town of Abertillery was undeveloped at this time with no major infrastructure, though when the Abertillery Iron Works of Richard Walker was established and began producing, there must have been some sort of siding on the tramline to transport the …

The Arcade Abertillery. There were buildings in and around the area what we now know as the arcade from the early build-up of the town, a few cottages, yards and open spaces occupied the area behind the Pontlottyn Store (as seen in the image above). Commercial Street was known as part of the main shopping area along with Market Street …