Any student of the Industrial Revolution in Britain seeking to observe the effects on its people and environment need look no further than the Sirhowy Valley.
Here, in microcosm, was the full story of the changes that took place throughout the entire land.
It was an era which brought innovation, progress and great prosperity to some but to many others meant misery, strife and deprivation...
The Sirhowy River rises North of Tredegar, Gwent and flows 20 miles or so South Easterly where it links with the Ebbw River at Cross Keys.
Originally, the valley was a thickly wooded area with steep slopes either side of the fast flowing river.
Population was sparse, with the few Welsh speaking inhabitants living in self built cottages, earning a living by working their own land or hiring out their labour to the few wealthier landowners who could afford such luxuries. An extract from 'AN HISTORICAL TOUR IN MONMOUTHSHIRE'
by William Coxe - published 1801"The features of this vale are more wild and romantic than those of the Ebwy;
it is narrower and deeper; and the shelving declivities, laid out in meadows,
stretch to the edges of the torrent, which roars in a profound abyss, obscured by overhanging trees."
The geology of the region, however, was the catalyst which was to change the idyllic nature of the Sirhowy Valley dramatically for two centuries.
Coal, wood, limestone and ironstone were to be found in abundance, all being essential materials needed in the process of iron making.
Some small furnaces had operated locally for many years. There are historical references to a 'Bedwellty Furnace' which was in production as early as 1597.
However, it was in 1800 with the formation of the Tredegar Iron Company when the area was to start to experience the major explosion of change that was to come.
Tredegar became a "boom town" with people moving to the area in search of employment in the new industry.
The following table shows the increase in Tredegar's population from 1801 to 1881
1801 1811 1821 1831 1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1132 3958 5404 8567 19929 24544 28598 33697 34685 The Iron Making industry soon dominated the Heads of the Valley area from Dowlais to Blaenavon and at night the entire skyline would be lit with an eerie glow from the furnaces.
The harsh conditions experienced by many workers in the early days provoked a reaction against the Iron Masters and Mine owners leading to such local rebellions as the Chartist uprising and the formation of the Scotch Cattle organisation.
Also, such practices as the Truck Shop principle added to the general discontent.
Tredegar's evolution into an industrial town spawned further expansion along the length of the valley.Pits were sunk in profusion to cope with the increasing demand for coal to fuel the new industrial needs of the era.
Communities were formed, flourished and developed into the towns and villages we know today.
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