Y Filltir Sgwâr Revisited - Garnddyrys

Tom Maloney

During the first series of articles, I touched on Garnddyrys a few times, but never devoted a whole article to this intriguing, rugged location set on the steep hillside that is The Blorenge, near Blaenafon.

It can be found just below the main road between Blaenafon and Govilon, well known locally as ‘The Tumble’. This road has become a ‘go to’ destination for cycle enthusiasts and professionals alike. Though in my mind it will always be ‘The Fiddler’s Elbow’, a name that I have known all my life.

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Old road

But … there is another road too, an old industrial horse drawn tram road, the existence of which will perhaps surprise many, it still surprises me!

This old road, quiet now, snakes its way from the limestone quarries at Pwlldu to Garnddyrys to where an iron forge once stood, before continuing its way around the mountain.

It can easily be picked out from an elevated position.

Thinking about it now, I cannot fathom why I did not write a whole piece about it, because it richly deserves the attention.

What’s in a name? I had to dig a little to try to get an answer to the meaning from the Welsh. ‘Garn’ is fairly straight forward, translating as a heap of stones or ‘cairn’, but ‘dyrys’ is a little trickier. Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, A Dictionary of the Welsh Language, is very useful if you are like me, a Welsh learner and gives the following meaning –

‘wild, rough, uncultivated; tangled with undergrowth, thorny (of land); thick-branched (of trees, &c.), dense, matted; intricate, entangled, labyrinthine, confusing.’

Well, considering these options, I think they all could easily apply. It is most certainly a wild, rocky place and as you will read it has an entangled, complicated history that is not easily discovered at first.

 Not everything is as it seems, there are scattered rocky outcrops of course, but so much of what looks so natural in the landscape is in fact the iron slag, industrial waste from the forge.

I really feel conflicted when exploring the site, because I know in my heart that this waste has no business being here at all really and yet I find it beautiful too.

One of my great pleasures when I am out walking is that my mind is released to take unexpected, imaginative journeys inspired by the landscape in front of me.

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Great Sphinx

Where the slag has been piled high at Garnddyrys, it takes my mind on a flight to the Great Sphinx of Giza. It appears so poised and alert as if it is about to pounce, while at other times my mind is transported to the enigmatic statues of Rapu Nui (Easter Island).

Curiously, all these sites, including Garnddyrys, are World Heritage sites, incredible really.

Seen close up, there are such extraordinary colours and textures reminding me at times of the polyps that create spectacular tropical coral reefs.

In places too, they remind me of the seemingly, wild abstract expressionist paintings of Jackson Pollock.

How anything grows on this waste I do not know, but Mother Nature has a way of letting you know who is in charge!

So, what about the history?

‘Coflein - The online catalogue of archaeology, buildings, industrial and maritime heritage in Wales’ gives the following fascinating description.

‘Garnddyrys Forge was built in 1816 -17 by Thomas Hill II, in conjunction with a tramroad from the furnaces at Blaenavon to the Brecon & Abergavenny Canal at Llanfoist.

 The site had a population of approximately 450 in the 1840s. After the railway reached Blaenavon in 1854 Garnddyrys was in an isolated position, and a new forge (known as Forgeside) was in due course built at Blaenavon closer to the railway.

 Garnddyrys Forge probably ceased working circa 1861 when the tramroad was given up.’

Trying to get some idea of what it must have been like is very difficult because the landscape looks anything but industrial now, it hides its story very well.

So, to picture how it may have looked I have turned to a sketch by Peter Richard Hoare that is on display in the World Heritage Centre in Blaenavon to inspire my own interpretation, though I still find it hard to believe that the forge was ever there and with a community of 450 people to boot.

And yet … the legacy of its existence is still there, imprinted within the ground as rectangular foundations, rather like the remains of a small Roman fort.

While another vestige of the past is transitory.

During periods of heavy rainfall, especially during the autumn and winter months, one of the industrial ponds that once served the iron forge reappears, if only for a few days, to reveal its true purpose.

 In moments like these you feel the power of the weather and the tremendous forces at play in a grand performance. Forces that grip you fast and command each and every one of your senses. You have to literally tear yourself away from the spot on which you have become grounded!

At other times, artefacts show themselves in more quiet moments and you wonder why you had not noticed them before. One such for me is a Blaenavon Company iron marker, which I know from so many visits is very easy to miss.

I like objects like this very much. Its cast features remain bold on its pitted, rusty surface and it speaks clearly to me of bygone days.

No walk at Garnddyrys is the same, be it the weather or be it the history held within the landscape, something new will always appear – guaranteed!

Some Helpful Information

Parking

There is a car park at The Keeper’s Pond, from which you can access Hill’s Tramroad which will take you to Garnddyrys. Parking here can be difficult though, especially on weekends as it has become a very popular destination. Alternatively, there are plenty of ‘pull-ins’ along the main road.

Be Prepared

This is a landscape that can be deceptive. The ground is very uneven and the paths, even in dry weather can be surprisingly slippery, so good walking boots or sturdy shoes are a must.

I would also recommend a walking stick as a third leg. These days I hardly ever walk without a trusty stick.