Caepantywyll: Page

Caepantywyll

Merthyr Tydfil

<Click on images to enlarge>

Caepantywyll is an area of early workers' housing between Morgan Town and William's Town, situated below the Brecon Road on the left bank of the river Taff.

Pant means a 'dent' or a 'valley' like dyffryn, glyn and cwm, though some say just a 'hollow'; tywyll means 'dark'. The field in the dark hollow. It was unnamed on the 1814 Ordnance Survey map and John Wood's 1836 Street Plan. It was located, according to the 1876 and 1885 Ordnance Survey Maps, as north of present-day Brecon Road, immediately east of the original site of Tydfil's Well. Homes were built in this district from the early 1800s to house the workers of the Cyfarthfa Ironworks and by the first half of 19^th century there were a scattering of houses immediately alongside Tudful's Well Street as far as the fishpond and houses were by then well established southwest of the Brecon Road. Building continued until the 1850s. The Streets in this district included Queen St., King St., Hill St., Gate St., Chapel St. and Waterloo St. The Rammell Inquiry of 1849 mentions Caepantywyll and complains that there are a great number of houses but not one proper road. 'It was all fields before the hoses were built', there are different types of houses, but none of the 'meanest sort' and it was never a 'slum-district'. Public houses here were the Mason's Arms, the Miner's Arms, the Queen's Arms, the Castle Tavern (known as 'Tafarn Twll'), Puddler's Arms, and the Balance Public house by the river. Capel Bethlehem, founded by the Welsh Calvinistic Methodists, was the chapel in Caepantywyll and it was noted for its music. Its most celebrated minister was John Roberts, 'Ieuan Gwyllt', who established a tradition of singing and music in Bethlehem which made the Chapel well known. There were also a few small shops here, at the bottom of King Street was a shop run by the Brooms, there was a shop in Taff Street managed by the Foley family.

This district declined in the second half of the twentieth century, some of the houses were left empty and the gardens neglected. Gradually people moved away to the new housing estates and the old homes were demolished.

Extract from the 1989 Ordnance Survey Map - Merthyr Tydfil North and South

available on PC-CD ROM from our shop.

Caepantywyll, taken from the Cyfarthfa Tip,

Caepantywyll, taken from the Brecon Road, In the distance you can see

Lines Bros, (Triang Toys), Thorn, and Gellideg Estate.

Quarry Row

The Eagle Inn, Quarry Row - c1900

James James is wearing the Bowler Hat. He was Landlord of the Eagle Inn,

his son John James ran the John James Removal and Haulage Business which

was based at the rear the pub.

(Photograph courtesy of Tim Morgan, John James' Great Grandson, Ex of Tudor Street)


CLICK HERE FOR JOHN JAMES REMOVALS AND HAULIERS

The Castle Inn

(Photograph Courtesy of Val Griffiths)

The Castle Inn - 1978

(Photograph Courtesy of Dez Broome)

The Castle Inn - 'Tavern Twll'

Geoff Matsell says that the present Castle Inn was rebuilt sometime in the past, and the original 'Tavern Twll' is part of the cellar of the new building.

(Thanks to Ian Gravell, Mervyn Davies, John Smith, Gary Evans & Geoff Matsell for responding to our request for help with this photograph.)