Troedrhiwgwair village: the early years

The village of Troedrhiwgwair was built in the late 1860's. Situated about one and a half miles to the south of Tredegar, it was built mainly to serve the Bedwellty Pits colliery on the opposite side of the valley.
At that time the village was called the Himalaya Range(see article Troedrhiwgwair, or Himalaya Range ).

After  unsuccessful attempts, at Pontygwaith near Pochin in 1859, the Baptists renewed their efforts by building Armageddon house (at a cost of £1400) on the side of the mountain, above what eventually became Troedrhiwgwair School. Although the building was demolished in 1905, the nearby stream in which they held their Baptism still survives. According to the 1881 census, a coalminer called Daniel Lewis lived there, with his wife Emily and seven children. Live in caretakers I presume.

By 1881 there were 96 houses in the village, and a typical Welsh valley community was beginning to develop.

According to the census of 1881, houses thirteen and fourteen were being used as schoolrooms for the village children. Ten years later the same two houses found further use as a church, for non-chapel residents, of course, after construction of the Troedrhiwgwair village school in 1885.

Originally, the school was built to house 186 pupils, but the numbers attending were often far greater.

In 1871 there was a public house in the village called the Fountain Inn. The landload was Isac Mason, who lived there with his wife Jane and five children. Interestingly, Isac stated his profession, in the 1871 census, to be a "farmer with 200 acres".