Tondu
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tondu | |
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| Population | Unknown |
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| OS grid reference | |
| Principal area | Bridgend |
| Ceremonial county | Mid Glamorgan |
| Constituent country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Tondu |
| Postcode district | CF32 |
| Dialling code | 01656 |
| Police | South Wales |
| Fire | South Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| European Parliament | Wales |
| UK Parliament | Ogmore |
| List of places: UK • Wales • Bridgend | |
Tondu (Welsh for black sward) is a small town near Bridgend in South Wales. It is rapidly becoming a dormitory suburb of Bridgend. It has lost its primary school, and its identity as a separate small town is eroding away.
Tondu lies on the A4063 from Bridgend to Maesteg, and was established in the late 18th century as a coal mining village servicing the Parc Slip colliery. In later years, an iron works was also established, and in the 19th century, a brick works was constructed using the clay from the carboniferous coal measures to make a variety of bricks, mostly for engineering. The brick works was demolished in 1977. The association with the coal industry was also reflected in the large area office of the National Coal Board in the town and a centre for the Mines Rescue Service.
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[edit] Railway Connections
The town has several railway lines and provided access to collieries in Wern-Tarw and the Ogmore and Garw valleys, along with maintenance facilities. All were closed to passenger traffic in the 1960s. They were used extensively by coal trains until the mine closures in the 1980s. The Wern-Tarw line was disused and lifted first, followed by the Ogmore line sometime afterwards. The Garw line is disused, but still extant. During the early 1990s the Bridgend to Maesteg line was re-opened to passenger traffic and provides a service to Cardiff. Occasional steel trains run via the Margam to Tondu and Tondu to Bridgend branch lines. The Margam line is now used by the new Parc Slip opencast mine for coal. The town is served by Tondu railway station.
[edit] River Llynfi
The River Llynfi flows alongside Tondu on its way to its confluence with the River Ogmore. The Llynfi at this point has had a history of severe pollution. Historically, the pollution started with the coal industry. The coal seams in this part of the South Wales Valleys are quite wet and the coal itself is rich in pyrites and thus also rich in sulphur. Such mine waters have a very high burden of coal and rock solids and also contain heavy metals such as nickel, iron and copper in acidic solution. In the 20th century, with the introduction of coal washeries, the mine waters became very rich in fine rock solids. The river also takes away the sewage from Maesteg, originally as crude sewage and then later as treated sewage in a treatment plant that was severely overloaded for much of its life. The establishment of a large paper mill and a cosmetics factory in the 20th century only added to the pollution load. As a result, the people of Tondu became inured to a river in their presence which was visibly very polluted and even changed colour as different types of paper were manufactured at the paper mill, and which also smelled strangely: a mixture of perfumes from the cosmetics factory and sewage from Maesteg.
[edit] History
[edit] Sir Robert Price
Sir Robert Price took over leases around Tondu Farm (now Parc Farm) previously granted to William Bryant, the liquidator of John Bedford’s business. Sir Robert owned Tondu house but usually let it to an employee. Following severe recessions in the iron trade in 1840-42 and 1847/8, Sir Robert got into difficulties. In 1853/4 he sold his ironworks at Tondu and his mining leases covering: Tondu, Tir Gunter, Parc, Bettws and Tywith to John Brogden and Sons and Elphinstone Barchard. Brogdens were Railway Contractors and Miners. The money did not match his liabilities and he went bankrupt in 1855[1][2].
[edit] Brogdens
In February 1854 John Brogden sent his fourth son James, aged 22, to revive and run the business, which was very run down. In July 1854, John Brogden signed a new 99 year lease with Jane Nicholl. James rapidly reorganised and expanded the works[1]. James rebuilt Tondu House between 1854 and 1857. In the 1861 census he said he was employing 900 men and farming 1100 acres with 20 men[2].
In 1863-1865 Brogdens opened coal mines at Tywith, Garth, Wyndham and Tynewydd - all managed from Tondu. In July 1863 Brogdens obtained an Act of Parliament to build a new standard gauge railway in the Ogmore Valley and to lay a third rail on the existing broad gauge Lynfi Railway to Porthcawl. In 1866 they obtained an Act to merge the two companies. In 1867 they opened a new dock in Porthcawl. All of these measures helped to promote the growth of industry in the area[1].
[edit] Brogdens give way to North's Navigation
In 1869, John Brogden died and his eldest son Alexander Brogden came to Tondu to take charge of the business and in 1872 formed a new company, the Llynvi, Tondu and Ogmore Coal and Iron Company Limited, for Brogdens’ Glamorgan business interests. However the new company was short-lived and was wound up by creditors in 1878. The liquidator made a number of attempts to make the business viable until it was taken over by North’s Navigation Collieries (1889) Ltd.[1].
[edit] Disastrous Explosion
On the day of the annual St. Mary Hill Fair, August 26, 1892, a huge explosion shook the mine; 112 men and boys died with just 39 survivors: some remained trapped underground for a week before being rescued. Sixty women were widowed and 153 children left fatherless. The mine closed in 1904. A memorial to the disaster still stands consisting of 112 stones - one for every death. Much later, the coal seams were re-worked as part of the Parc Slip opencast coal mine
[edit] New Manager
Also in 1892[3], John Boyd-Harvey was appointed General Manager and Managing Director. Boyd-Harvey was a Cornishman who had studied gas production in Swansea – under the circumstances a very useful thing. He had followed his elder brother Robert to South America. Robert had gone into partnership with Colonel North there and John also joined the business, managing the Iquique Gas Company on the border of Chile and Peru. He retired in 1913, at the early age of 52. After that North’s Navigation continued until the Nationalisation of Coal in 1947, although the iron works was closed[2].
[edit] Tondu House
The General Managers lived in Tondu House until 1940 when the house was commandeered by the Ministry of Supply for the Pyrotechnic Research Department (PRD), evacuated from London. The site was chosen because it was in an elevated and relatively isolated position, some distance from a built-up area and only four miles from ROF Bridgend. This involved Tondu with some very important war work. PRD was relocated to Langhurst Sussex in 1957, where it merged with the former Flame Warfare Research Establishment[2].
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Higgins, LS, The Brogden Pioneers of the early industrial development in Mid-Glamorgan, National Library of Wales Journal, Vol XX, No. 3, Summer 1978, pp 240-252.
- ^ a b c d Rees, Gwilym J, Tondu House – A History of Ownership and Tenants (1650-1963), published by the author (1997) ISBN 0953094103
- ^ Presumably following the explosion. Help needed here.
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