Guardian - mining memorial

Guardian at 20m tall overlooking Parc Arael Griffin in Six Bells, Abertillery

On the 28th of June 1960 an underground explosion at Six Bells colliery in the South Wales mining town of Abertillery resulted in the death of 45 local miners.^[1] Exactly fifty years later, "Guardian", a memorial to the fallen men, was unveiled at a commemorative service led by the Arch Bishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams. Around four hundred relatives were among 7,500 people from across the world attending the service.

The 20m tall "Guardian" overlooks Parc Arael Griffin, the reclaimed and landscaped, former Six Bells colliery site. In recognition of the dangers associated with the industry it is dedicated to all mining communities wherever they may be.

Designed and created by artist Sebastien Boyesen, it is often compared with Anthony Gormley's "Angel of the North".

Construction

In these hands - the Moire effect

Costing in excess of £200,000 Guardian is made from over 20,000 horizontal strips of a special weathering steel. Each is separated from but connected to the next such that from a distance Guardian appears almost transparent. Close up and from the right angle the gaps between the strips disappear to give the appearance of a solid sculpture with full definition of all of its features.^[2]

This style of construction also creates a Moiré effect where the steel sections appear to move or shimmer in the light. The 10mm thick Cor-Ten ‘weathering’ steel allows a protective rust patina to form on its surface. Weighing around 8 tonne and standing on a sandstone plinth it has an overall height of 20m - about as tall as a six or seven storey building.

The names, ages and home town of each of the forty five victims appear on steel plates surrounding the plinth.

Visitor Centre

A small car park lies to the north of Parc Ebbw Fach. Across the road and just 100 metres away stands Ty Ebbw Fach, the Parc's modern visitor centre. It has restaurant, meeting place and modern conference facilities. There is also a "mining valley" experience room using physical exhibits, photos and audio-visual aids to give a picture of the life and times of the area at the time of the disaster. HRH Prince Charles visited the Guardian and visitor centre in November 2011.

Location

Guardian overlooking Six Bells

The Guardian is often incorrectly referred to as "The Guardian of the Valleys". It is true that it is situated in the heart of the Gwent valleys but its correct title is just "Guardian". It sits in a somewhat elevated position overlooking Parc Arael Griffin the reclaimed former Six Bells colliery site.

Guardian is signposted from the nearby A467 about 15 miles north of Junction 28 of the M4 motorway and 6 miles south of the A465 "Heads of the Valleys" road at Brynmawr. The nearest rail station is about 2 miles away at Llanhilleth on the Cardiff to Ebbw Vale line. The Ebbw Fach Trail is a cycling (and walking) route that runs through the Parc. Starting near Ebbw Vale it runs through the Ebbw Fach valley to Llanhilleth in the south.

The site is surrounded by hills providing opportunities for those interested in walking. There is pedestrian access to the Parc from the south and north with mainly level paths around the site.

The Toll

The South Wales valleys are well known for their long association with coal mining. Until the mid 19th century much of the region was rural with scattered farms and hamlets. Then deep mines began to appear with numbers opening reaching a peak around the 1890s. The region changed to one of heavy industry almost overnight with towns and villages developing every few miles where few existed before.

The Guardian setting

The Abertillery area in particular developed so that ultimately there were six deep mines and numerous smaller coal levels all providing employment for a rapidly expanding population. The industry did not just bring employment. The very nature of the job meant high risks for some as evidenced by the accident rate. Whilst the Six Bells disaster was the last major disaster in the area there were many other incidents involving death and injury some of which are recorded on line in various archives.^[3] The toll in the 1960 Six Bells disaster included brothers, neighbours, fathers and sons. The roll call of the 45 Six Bells victims gives an impression of the impact on the community.^[4]

In recent years the landscape of the Abertillery area like much of the South Wales valleys region has been altered substantially by large scale redevelopment. The mines, spoil tips and general detritus of the mining industry have gone and it is just places like Parc Arael Griffin and the Guardian that remind one of the impact the industry once had on local communities .

The Artist - Sebastian Boyesen

For nearly 30 years Sebastien Boyesen has worked as an artist, sculptor and environmental designer throughout the UK. Notable works of his appear as far apart as Lancashire, Yorkshire and South Wales.

References