Aber Valley YMCA, Brynhafod Rd, Abertridwr

Enter Abertriwr. Aprox 1 mile into the village, with the Community Church on your left, turn right into Brynhafod Road, through the crossroads, the YMCA is on the right. There you can visit the Gallery which has over one thousand photographs on display showing life in the Aber Valley over the last 130 years.

Nazareth Chapel (Abertridwr Community Centre)

Situated on Abertridwr Square.Of the fourteen Chapels in the Valley in 1910 only two now remain. The Community Church (Beulah Chapel), in Abertridwr and the United Reformed Church (Congregational Chapel) in Senghenydd. The Nazareth Chapel on Abertridwr Square has been preserved and is now used as a Community Centre. It houses Roll’s of Honour to the men of the Aber Valley who fought in the Spanish Civil War and to the men who died in the Second World War

St Ilan’s Church, Eglwysilan

At Abertridwr Square proceed straight up the hill (with Panteg Public House on your right). Carry on right up through Hendre and take the lane on the left behind the houses, take care it is narrow with few passing places for cars. Carry on to the top of the mountain until you reach a cross road, turn left and you will see the Church on your right hand side. The results of your efforts in negotiating the lane will be well worth it when you finally see the Church.

St Ilan’s Church was probably built in the 13th century on the site of a much older church. A cross slab was discovered in the churchyard which dates back to the
eighth or tenth century, but may be much older. Restored in 1751 its tower was
rebuilt and the nave windows inserted. Further work took place in the 1870s and 1980s. The tub font is early medieval.Among the many graves and tombs in the churchyard are those of miners killed in the 1901 and 1913 Universal Colliery Mining Disaster.

Windsor Colliery Memorial

You will find this Memorial on the border between the villages of Abertridwr and Senghenydd, situated behind the Windsor Hotel on the road to the new housing estate. It was erected on the old roadway leading to the site of the Windsor Colliery in September 2006 in memory of the 154 miners who were killed during its working life. (1898 to 1986) Built ofpolished pre cast concrete and carved with images of mining it l l ists the names of those killed during the working life of the colliery.

Heritage Room, Community Centre. Gwern Avenue, Senghenydd

At the War Memorial cross roads situated on Senghenydd “Square” turn left into Gwern Avenue and the Centre is on the left hand side.
In the early years of the last century, the village of Senghenydd was struck twice by tragedy. On 24 May 1901 and again on 14 October 1913 devastating explosions ripped through the pit at the Universal Colliery, killing a total of 520 men. The explosions left behind 205 widows and 542 children without fathers. The 1913 explosion still remains the biggest mining disaster in British & European History.

In the Heritage Room at the Centre a small exhibition displays photographs from those dark days, whilst artefacts from the Colliery conjure up images of those desperate times. The centrepiece of the exhibition is the Book of Remembrance, which records the names and details of all those who perished.Visiting times are 11am until 2pm Monday to Saturday excluding Bank Holidays,  for visiting outside these times: Please ring 0292 0830 444 or 0292 0866 357.

Senghenydd War Memorial

Return to the centre of Senghenydd to the War memorial. This was erected in 1926 From the total of 63 men from Senghenydd who were killed in the Great War, the War to end all Wars! many were miners from the Universal Colliery. A further 24 men gave their lives in the World War 2. Many of the families of these brave men still live in the Valley.

Universal Colliery Memorial

Travel straight through Senghenydd, passing the War Memorial, until you approach Nant y Parc School on the left. The Memorial is situated at the entrance to the School.The Memorial was erected by the National Coal Board to commemorate the miners killed in both explosions. A Memorial Service is held on the 14 October each year (unless this falls on Sat/Sun when it is held on the nearest Fri or Mon) commencing at 10 am and attended by the
Schoolchildren of theValley and members of the community.

Site of the Universal Colliery

From the Universal Memorial travel on up to the top of the valley, following the road which passes the Saw Mills. This was the site of the Colliery. The Colliery was owned by the Lewis Merthyr Consolidated Collieries Ltd. It was part of a huge mining empire run by Sir William Thomas Lewis, the first Lord Merthyr of Senghenydd. Lewis was the most powerful coal owner in Wales. He had founded the Sliding Scale and the Monmouthshire and South Wales Coal Owners Association.The sinking of the colliery had begun in 1891. Two shafts were completed, the York and the Lancaster, both almost 2,000 feet deep. The workings were divided into two areas, the West side and the East side. Each side was divided into a number of districts. The West side districts were named after battles in the Boer War, Pretoria, Mafeking, Kimberly, Ladysmith, Bottanic and West York. The first disaster took place on the 24th of May 1901 at the end of the night shift when 82 men were left underground and 81 of these died. The second disaster happened on the 14th of October 1913 and was concentrated on the West side of the pit, 440 men and boys were killed.On the right hand side of the road are the derelict remains of the offices of the coal owners. If you look to the hills behind the Saw Mills and on the remains of the old tip you can i magine how it must have looked when thousands of men and women walked from the surrounding villages and stood there for days watching the rescue and awaiting news of family and friends. The colliery closed in 1928 giving only one days notice to the 1,300 men still employed!

Senghenydd Dyke, Mynydd Eglwysilan

Travel on up the road pass the Saw Mills, up the “Tram Road”, pass Graig yr Hyfen farm and over the Cattle Grid to the top of the mountain. (The easiest point to see the Dyke is off the Heol Fawr road running from Senghenydd to Nelson across Mynydd Eglwysilan.

Encircling the village of Senghenydd, are the remains of a medieval 13th century game park. Such enclosures were common in England around this time but less so in Wales. The park was probably well stocked with game and deer. It would have been the private hunting park of the de Clares and their entourage at Caerphilly Castle. Like the Castle itself, it was a symbol of power. Who else but a Lord, would have the wealth and standing to enclose such a large tract of land for pleasure and feast on the game and venison that he would have killed!

The park is roughly rectangular in shape with rounded corners. Its single bank and steep inner ditch enclosed around 2500 acres. Whether a “pale” or fence crowned this bank is unclear. The interior was probably once a mixture of open upland and woodland. Long lengths of the bank and ditch are still clearly visible today. Even up until the late eighteenth century this area was still known as the “Parc”. From this vantage point there are magnificent views stretching from Cardiff to the beginning of the Brecon Beacons