by Carolyn Jacob
After World War II more street lights were powered by gas than electricity. Electricity was then supplied by the Merthyr Electric Traction and Lighting Co. Ltd and gas mainly by the Dowlais Gas Company and the Merthyr Tydfil Gas Company.
High Street Sewers
From the 1850s onwards the Board of Health continually argued as to how a High Street sewer was to be paid for and how to clean up certain problem areas such as Caedraw.
The drainage of the High Street was a problem as the town had no means of proper drainage. Mr. Hill said that sewers were made large for the purpose of admitting men and boys to clean them and that he would prefer draining the worst localities in the town first, especially those which had been afflicted with cholera like Caedraw.
Merthyr Tydfil had a 100 miles of sewers varying in diameters between 9 inches and 30 inches. In 1946 a new main sewer was built from Dowlais to Troedyrhiw, the trunk mains in the upper part of the Borough being defective and inadequate. It was proposed to broaden the whole of the old High Street.
In 1949 Trystan Edwards (left), father of the New Towns Movement and opposed to tower blocks became the architect for Merthyr Council. His classic book on ‘Style and Design in Architecture’ by Mr Trystan Edwards’ of Merthyr Tydfil was published in 1950. Mr Trystan Edwards who had a high reputation as a town planner and architect made 3 objections in September 1952 to the new Merthyr Tydfil Development Plan. It seems that as early as 1905 a new Town Hall was on the cards and he objected to its proposed position and not a new building itself.
Caedraw Central Housing Development
In the 1960s came the new Caedraw flat scheme at a cost of £540,000. The new police station was officially opened in April 1965 by James Griffiths, the Secretary of State for Wales. He said the development had transformed the area from an over-crowded slum to an ultra modern residential area ‘ bold and imaginative’ as he had a conducted tour of the estate.
St Tydfil’s Shopping Centre
The bridge from the St Tydfil’s Shopping Centre to the car park constructed 1969 was the first of its kind 300 foot cost £55,000 to build. Gareth Morgan a ten year old boy from Dowlais received a prize of £25 for naming the one and a half million new shopping centre St Tydfil’s. All 80 suggested names were connected with the history of the town and variations of the name Winstone were common. The centre developed by Chesterfield Properties Ltd included 48 shopping units, 2 supermarkets, a market hall, one large departmental store, public house, entertainments centre, 25 maisonettes and office accommodation.
The Market Square Chapel was demolished.
In July 1966 the Eagle Hotel was completely renovated and modernised throughout. The landlord and land lady were Mr and Mrs Parry.
Oldway House, Castle Street was begun in 1966 by Oldway Properties Ltd. as part of the new Merthyr and took 13 months to complete. The building itself was a frame structure.
The new central Police Station cost £150,000 in Swan Street was completed 1968, it was only a 75 yard move from the old Merthyr Police Station at Graham Street.
Victoria Street clearance 1966
In the 1970s it was decided that the High Street was extremely congested and it was unsafe for pedestrians and it was decided in the 1970s that there ought to be a traffic-free shopping centre. The High Street became a haven of peace and quiet in September 1976. The Welsh Office gave a grant of £103,725 to take the traffic out of the High Street This ring road was to get the traffic out of the High Street
In 1988 the shops and offices in the High Street in Pontmorlais were treated to a facelift under a commercial improvement scheme. A car park and flower beds were created at the junction with Bethesda Street.
‘A past, a tradition, an experience in space and time we seem hellbent on bulldozing away … A man who loses his memory is half a man … A man who destroys his won memory is a madman’.
From an address given by Professor Gwyn Alf Williams to the first meeting of the Merthyr Tydfil Civic Society.
