Dowlais: Difference between revisions

Dowlais
Dowlais
	The Guest Memorial Library
	Dowlais Location within Merthyr Tydfil
Population	6,926 (2011 census)
OS grid reference	SO075075
Principal area	Merthyr Tydfil;
Preserved county	Mid Glamorgan;
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Merthyr Tydfil
Postcode district	CF48
Dialling code	01685 38
Police	South Wales
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
UK Parliament	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney;
Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney;
	List of places UK Wales Merthyr Tydfil 51°45′43″N 3°21′11″W / 51.762°N 3.353°W

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Latest revision as of 23:22, 27 September 2024

Dowlais (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈdɔu̯lai̯s]) is a village and community of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. At the 2011 census the electoral ward had a population of 6,926,^[1] The population of the Community being 4,270 at the 2011 census having excluded Pant.^[2] Dowlais is notable within Wales and Britain for its historic association with ironworking; once employing, through the Dowlais Iron Company, over 7,000 people, the works being the largest in the world at one stage.^[3]^[4]

Name

The name is derived from the Welsh du meaning 'black' and glais meaning 'stream'.^[5]^[6]

History

Dowlais came to prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries because of its iron and steelworks. By the mid-1840s there were between 5000 and 7000 men, women and children employed in the Dowlais works.^[7] During the early to mid 1800s the ironworks were operated by Sir John Josiah Guest and (from 1833) his wife Lady Charlotte Guest. Charlotte Guest introduced welfare schemes for the ironworkers. She provided for a church and a library. The school (dating from 1819) was improved and extended, becoming "probably the most important and most progressive not only in the industrial history of South Wales, but of the whole of Britain".^[8] In the 1850s, after Sir John's death, the works became under the control of a board of trustees.^[8] In 1865 the Bessemer steel making process was introduced to Dowlais, with £33,000 being spent on a new steelworks.^[9] Steel production at Dowlais eventually ceased in 1936 due to the Great Depression, although the iron foundry continued until 1987.

Dowlais was originally part of the parish of Merthyr Tydfil. In 1872 the population was 15,590.^[10] Its total population at the 2011 census was 6,926.^[11]

Governance

Dowlais was an electoral ward to Mid Glamorgan County Council from 1973 to 1996.^[12]

Since 1996 Dowlais has been a ward to Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. In 2003 Dowlais was represented by an independent councillor, John Pritchard, who was also Mayor of Merthyr Tydfil.^[13]

Notable buildings

Little remains of the works that once sustained the community throughout the Victorian era until the 1930s, the two notable buildings that remain are the Engine House, now used a community centre and the stable block which is now social housing.

Dowlais House, which has now been demolished, was once home to Sir John Josiah Guest and Lady Charlotte Guest, and it was at Dowlais House that Lady Guest translated the Mabinogion. The Guest Memorial Library (1863); commissioned by Lady Guest and designed by Charles Barry, still stands.

St John's Church, a Grade II listed building, contains the tombs and burial places of several notable people, including Sir John Guest who had the church built in 1827. St John's closed in 1997 but has received several hundred thousand pounds of Welsh Government money to preserve it.^[14]

In its heyday, Dowlais had numerous nonconformist chapels. Almost all have disappeared although the buildings of Bethania (Independent) and Hebron (Calvinistic Methodist) are now used by evangelical congregations. Others have been demolished including Bryn Seion and Gwernllwyn.

Sport and leisure

Dowlais is home to rugby union club, Dowlais RFC.

Notable residents

Laura Ashley, fashion designer
Dai Astley, association footballer
Richard Davies, actor
Thomas Nathaniel Davies, artist
David William Evans, lawyer and international rugby union player
Horace Evans, 1st Baron Evans, royal physician
Lady Charlotte Guest, first translator of the Mabinogion into English
Ivor Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne, industrialist
John Josiah Guest, engineer
Richard Harrington, actor
Robert Alwyn Hughes, artist
Heinz Koppel, artist
Gustavius Payne, artist
Robert Rees, tenor
Glanmor Williams, historian
Gwyn Alf Williams, historian

Sources

Birch, Alan (1967), Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-38248-3
Newman, John (1995), Glamorgan, The Buildings of Wales, London: Penguin Books, ISBN 0-14-071056-6

References

^ "Dowlais Ward: 2011 Census: Census Area Statistics". National Statistics: UK government. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
^ "Community population 2011". Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ "Dowlais Ironworks, Merthyr Tydfil (34084)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
^ Newman 1995, p. 446.
^ "Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru".
^ "Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru".
^ Birch Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry p. 255
^ ^a ^b Birch Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry pp. 291-5
^ Birch Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry p. 358
^ "Dowlais Glamorgan". Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 January 2016. (info reproduced from the 1872 Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales)
^ "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 9 November 2015.
^ "Mid Glamorgan County Council Election Results 1973-1993" (PDF). The Elections Centre (Plymouth University). Retrieved 15 April 2019.
^ "Civic cheerleader on the taxes". Wales Online. 1 July 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
^ Katie Sands (29 October 2015). "Church that hasn't been used for 20 years to get £100k cash boost to help convert it into 20 flats". Wales Online. Retrieved 16 January 2016.

External links

Old Merthyr Tydfil: Dowlais - Historical Photographs of Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil.
Photos of Dowlais and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk

[1] "Dowlais Ward: 2011 Census: Census Area Statistics". National Statistics: UK government. Retrieved 23 January 2016.

[2] "Community population 2011". Retrieved 9 November 2015.

[3] "Dowlais Ironworks, Merthyr Tydfil (34084)". Coflein. RCAHMW. Retrieved 16 March 2023.

[FOOTNOTENewman1995446-4] Newman 1995, p. 446.

[5] "Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru".

[6] "Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru".

[7] Birch Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry p. 255

[Birch291-8] Birch Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry pp. 291-5

[9] Birch Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry p. 358

[10] "Dowlais Glamorgan". Vision of Britain. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 January 2016. (info reproduced from the 1872 Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales)

[11] "Ward population 2011". Retrieved 9 November 2015.

[12] "Mid Glamorgan County Council Election Results 1973-1993" (PDF). The Elections Centre (Plymouth University). Retrieved 15 April 2019.

[13] "Civic cheerleader on the taxes". Wales Online. 1 July 2003. Retrieved 17 January 2016.

[14] Katie Sands (29 October 2015). "Church that hasn't been used for 20 years to get £100k cash boost to help convert it into 20 flats". Wales Online. Retrieved 16 January 2016.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
-{{infobox UK place
+{{Infobox UK place
-|country =		Wales
+| country = Wales
-|welsh_name=		Dowlais
-|static_image_name = Guest Memorial Library, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil - Wide.jpg
+| static_image_name = Guest Memorial Library, Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil - Wide.jpg
-|static_image_caption=The Guest Memorial Library
+| static_image_caption = The Guest Memorial Library
-|constituency_welsh_assembly= [[Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney]]
+| constituency_welsh_assembly = [[Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (National Assembly for Wales constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney]]
-|map_type=
+| map_type =
-|official_name=		Dowlais
+| official_name = Dowlais
+| coordinates = {{coord|51.762|-3.353|display=inline,title}}
-|latitude=          51.7585
-|longitude=         -3.3416
 | population = 6,926
-| population_ref = 2011
+| population_ref = (2011 census)
-|unitary_wales=		[[Merthyr Tydfil]]
+| unitary_wales = Merthyr Tydfil
-|lieutenancy_wales=	[[Mid Glamorgan]]
+| lieutenancy_wales = [[Mid Glamorgan]]
-|constituency_westminster=      [[Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (UK Parliament constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney]]
+| constituency_westminster = [[Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney (UK Parliament constituency)|Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney]]
-|post_town=		Merthyr Tydfil
+| post_town = Merthyr Tydfil
-|postcode_district =	CF48
+| postcode_district = CF48
-|postcode_area=		CF
+| postcode_area = CF
-|dial_code=		01685 38
+| dial_code = 01685 38
-|os_grid_reference=	SO075075
+| os_grid_reference = SO075075
 }}
-'''Dowlais''' ({{IPA-cy|ˈdɔu̯lai̯s}}) is a village and [[Community (Wales)|community]] of the [[county borough]] of [[Merthyr Tydfil County Borough|Merthyr Tydfil]], in [[Wales]]. At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]] it had a population of 6,926,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6097189&c=dowlais&d=14&e=16&g=419772&i=1001x1003x1006&k=2011&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1453563698002&enc=1&domainId=62&dsFamilyId=2473 |title=Dowlais Ward: 2011 Census: Census Area Statistics| work=National Statistics: UK government |accessdate=23 January 2016}}</ref> reducing to 4,270 at the 2011 census having excluded Pant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11122787&c=CF48+3HA&d=16&e=62&g=6495345&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1447066504846&enc=1|title=Community population 2011|accessdate= 9 November 2015}}</ref>  Dowlais is notable within Wales and Britain for its historic association with [[ironworking]]; once employing, through the [[Dowlais Ironworks|Dowlais Iron Company]], roughly 5,000 people, the works being the largest in the world. {{citation needed}}
+'''Dowlais''' ({{IPA|cy|ˈdɔu̯lai̯s}}) is a village and [[Community (Wales)|community]] of the [[county borough]] of [[Merthyr Tydfil County Borough|Merthyr Tydfil]], in [[Wales]]. At the [[United Kingdom Census 2011|2011 census]] the [[electoral ward]] had a population of 6,926,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=6097189&c=dowlais&d=14&e=16&g=419772&i=1001x1003x1006&k=2011&o=1&m=0&r=1&s=1453563698002&enc=1&domainId=62&dsFamilyId=2473 |title=Dowlais Ward: 2011 Census: Census Area Statistics| work=National Statistics: UK government |access-date=23 January 2016}}</ref> The population of the Community being 4,270 at the 2011 census having excluded Pant.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11122787&c=CF48+3HA&d=16&e=62&g=6495345&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=0&s=1447066504846&enc=1|title=Community population 2011|access-date= 9 November 2015}}</ref>  Dowlais is notable within Wales and Britain for its historic association with [[ironworking]]; once employing, through the [[Dowlais Ironworks|Dowlais Iron Company]], over 7,000 people, the works being the largest in the world at one stage.<ref>{{Coflein|num=34084|desc=Dowlais Ironworks, Merthyr Tydfil|access-date=16 March 2023}}</ref>{{sfn|Newman|1995|p=446}}
 ==Name==
-The name is derived from the Welsh ''du'' meaning 'black' and ''glais'' meaning 'stream'. {{citation needed|date=January 2016}}
+The name is derived from the Welsh ''du'' meaning 'black' and ''glais'' meaning 'stream'.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://welsh-dictionary.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html?du | title=Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://welsh-dictionary.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html?glais | title=Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru }}</ref>
 ==History==
-Dowlais came to prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries because of its [[Dowlais Ironworks|iron and steelworks]]. By the mid 1840s there were between 5000 and 7000 men, women and children employed in the Dowlais works.<ref>Birch ''Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry'' p. 255</ref> During the early to mid 1800s the ironworks were operated by Sir [[John Josiah Guest]] and (from 1833) his wife Lady [[Charlotte Guest]]. Charlotte Guest introduced welfare schemes for the ironworkers. She provided for a church and a library. The school (dating from 1819) was improved and extended, becoming "probably the most important and most progressive not only in the industrial history of South Wales, but of the whole of Britain".<ref name=Birch291>Birch ''Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry'' pp. 291-5</ref> In the 1850s, after Sir John's death, the works became under the control of a board of trustees.<ref name=Birch291 /> In 1865 the Bessemer steel making process was introduced to Dowlais, with £33,000 being spent on a new steelworks.<ref>Birch ''Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry'' p. 358</ref> Steel production at Dowlais eventually ceased in 1936 due to the [[Great Depression]], although the iron foundry continued until 1987.
+Dowlais came to prominence in the 18th and 19th centuries because of its [[Dowlais Ironworks|iron and steelworks]]. By the mid-1840s there were between 5000 and 7000 men, women and children employed in the Dowlais works.<ref>Birch ''Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry'' p. 255</ref> During the early to mid 1800s the ironworks were operated by Sir [[John Josiah Guest]] and (from 1833) his wife Lady [[Lady Charlotte Guest|Charlotte Guest]]. Charlotte Guest introduced welfare schemes for the ironworkers. She provided for a church and a library. The school (dating from 1819) was improved and extended, becoming "probably the most important and most progressive not only in the industrial history of South Wales, but of the whole of Britain".<ref name=Birch291>Birch ''Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry'' pp. 291-5</ref> In the 1850s, after Sir John's death, the works became under the control of a board of trustees.<ref name=Birch291 /> In 1865 the Bessemer steel making process was introduced to Dowlais, with £33,000 being spent on a new steelworks.<ref>Birch ''Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry'' p. 358</ref> Steel production at Dowlais eventually ceased in 1936 due to the [[Great Depression]], although the iron foundry continued until 1987.
-Dowlais was originally part of the parish of [[Merthyr Tydfil]]. In 1872 the population was 15,590.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20251 |title=Dowlais Glamorgan |website=Vision of Britain |publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]] |accessdate=17 January 2016 }} (info reproduced from the 1872 ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'')</ref> Its total population at the 2011 census was 6,926.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/dowlais-w05000709#sthash.UBpocr3h.dpbs|title=Ward population 2011|accessdate= 9 November 2015}}</ref>
+Dowlais was originally part of the parish of [[Merthyr Tydfil]]. In 1872 the population was 15,590.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/20251 |title=Dowlais Glamorgan |website=Vision of Britain |publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]] |access-date=17 January 2016 }} (info reproduced from the 1872 ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'')</ref> Its total population at the 2011 census was 6,926.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ukcensusdata.com/dowlais-w05000709#sthash.UBpocr3h.dpbs|title=Ward population 2011|access-date= 9 November 2015}}</ref>
 ==Governance==
+Dowlais was an [[electoral ward]] to [[Mid Glamorgan County Council]] from 1973 to 1996.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mid Glamorgan County Council Election Results 1973-1993|url=http://www.electionscentre.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Mid-Glamorgan-County-1973-1993.pdf|publisher=The Elections Centre ([[Plymouth University]])|access-date=15 April 2019}}</ref>
-Dowlais still remains as an [[Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom|electoral ward]]. In 2003 Dowlais was represented by an independent councillor, John Pritchard, who was also Mayor of [[Merthyr Tydfil]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/civic-cheerleader-on-the-taxes-2476834 |title=Civic cheerleader on the taxes |date=1 July 2003 |work=Wales Online |accessdate=17 January 2016 }}</ref>
+Since 1996 Dowlais has been a ward to [[Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council]]. In 2003 Dowlais was represented by an independent councillor, John Pritchard, who was also Mayor of [[Merthyr Tydfil]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/civic-cheerleader-on-the-taxes-2476834 |title=Civic cheerleader on the taxes |date=1 July 2003 |work=Wales Online |access-date=17 January 2016 }}</ref>
+[[File:Yr hen stablau, Dowlais.jpg|thumb|The old stables, Dowlais]]
 ==Notable buildings==
@@ Line 38: / Line 41: @@
 Dowlais House, which has now been demolished, was once home to Sir [[John Josiah Guest]] and [[Lady Charlotte Guest]], and it was at Dowlais House that Lady Guest translated the [[Mabinogion]]. The Guest Memorial Library (1863); commissioned by Lady Guest and designed by [[Charles Barry]], still stands.
-[[St John's Church, Dowlais|St John's Church]], a Grade II [[listed building]], contains the tombs and burial places of several notable people, including Sir John Guest who had the church built in 1827. St John's closed in 1997 but has received several hundred thousand [[pound sterling|pounds]] of [[Welsh Government]] money to preserve it.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/church-merthyr-tydfil-100k-boost-10353601 |title=Church that hasn't been used for 20 years to get £100k cash boost to help convert it into 20 flats |date=29 October 2015 |work=Wales Online |author=Katie Sands |accessdate=16 January 2016 }}</ref>
+[[St John's Church, Dowlais|St John's Church]], a Grade II [[listed building]], contains the tombs and burial places of several notable people, including Sir John Guest who had the church built in 1827. St John's closed in 1997 but has received several hundred thousand [[pound sterling|pounds]] of [[Welsh Government]] money to preserve it.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/church-merthyr-tydfil-100k-boost-10353601 |title=Church that hasn't been used for 20 years to get £100k cash boost to help convert it into 20 flats |date=29 October 2015 |work=Wales Online |author=Katie Sands |access-date=16 January 2016 }}</ref>
+In its heyday, Dowlais had numerous nonconformist chapels. Almost all have disappeared although the buildings of [[Bethania, Dowlais|Bethania (Independent)]] and Hebron (Calvinistic Methodist) are now used by evangelical congregations. Others have been demolished including Bryn Seion and Gwernllwyn.
 ==Sport and leisure==
@@ Line 46: / Line 51: @@
 * [[Laura Ashley]], fashion designer
 * [[Dai Astley]], association footballer
-* [[Richard Davies (actor)|Richard Davies]], actor
+* [[Richard Davies (Welsh actor)|Richard Davies]], actor
 * [[Thomas Nathaniel Davies]], artist
 * [[David William Evans]], lawyer and international rugby union player
@@ Line 62: / Line 67: @@
 ==Sources==
-*{{Citation|url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=XVP-AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA255#v=onepage&q&f=false |author=Birch, Alan |title=Economic HIstory of the British Iron and Steel Industry |year=1967 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-38248-3 }}
+*{{Citation|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XVP-AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA255 |author=Birch, Alan |title=Economic History of the British Iron and Steel Industry |year=1967 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-38248-3 }}
+*{{cite book|last=Newman|first=John|author-link=John Newman (architectural historian)|title=Glamorgan|series=The Buildings of Wales|publisher=Penguin Books|location=London|year=1995|url=https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=isbn%3A0140710566|isbn=0-14-071056-6|mode=cs2}}
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
@@ Line 69: / Line 74: @@
 ==External links==
 *[http://www.alangeorge.co.uk/Dowlais_Town.htm Old Merthyr Tydfil: Dowlais] - Historical Photographs of Dowlais, Merthyr Tydfil.
-*[http://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=6631709 Photos of Dowlais and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk]
+*[https://www.geograph.org.uk/search.php?i=6631709 Photos of Dowlais and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk]
 {{Merthyr Tydfil}}
+{{authority control}}
 [[Category:Villages in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough]]
+[[Category:Communities in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough]]
+[[Category:Wards of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough]]
+[[Category:Mid Glamorgan electoral wards]]

v t e Merthyr Tydfil County Borough
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
Communities	Bedlinog Cyfarthfa Dowlais Gurnos Merthyr Vale Pant Park Penydarren Town Treharris Troed-y-rhiw Vaynor
Towns and villages	Aberfan Abercanaid Bedlinog Cefn-coed-y-cymmer Dowlais Edwardsville Gellideg Georgetown Gurnos Heolgerrig Merthyr Vale Mount Pleasant Pant Panteg Park Pentrebach Penydarren Pontsarn Pontygwaith Quakers Yard Quar Merthyr Tydfil Trefechan Treharris Trelewis Troed-y-rhiw Twynyrodyn Vaynor
Rivers	River Taff
Topics	Parliamentary constituencies Places Schools Electoral wards SSSIs Listed buildings Grade I Grade II* Scheduled monuments Registered parks and gardens Lord Lieutenants High Sheriffs Museums Public art

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	United States Israel