Category: Community Groups

Visit from The Royal Mint

We use coins everyday and don’t ever think about how they evolved or where they came from. Chris Barker, from the Royal Mint museum, came to talk to us about the history of the Royal Mint and started the story with the Celtic coin that was struck by a Celtic chief. This was not used as currency but as a means of showing off. This changed around 1880 when Alfred the Great struck coins with the name London in the form of a monogram on them.

For many centuries this penny was the only coin in circulation. One coin meant that giving change was difficult and they were literally cut in half or quarters for this purpose. Coinage production remained the same for centuries – simple basic methods were used with the coins being made by hand in many parts of the country.

In 1279 coin production was centralized into the Mint in the Tower of London and the first gold coins were produced which were meant to convey wealth and power. During the reign of Henry the Eighth, in a misguided attempt to raise money, the coinage was debased by adding silver and copper but was subsequently rectified by Elizabeth the first. 

By the Seventeenth Century machinery was introduced and screw presses and horse driven rolling mills were installed at the Royal Mint and the ancient method of striking coins by hand was finally abandoned. This meant that the portraits on coins were clearly defined and edge lettering and mulling were achieved. 1699 saw the appointment of Isaac Newton as Master of the Royal Mint where he remained until his death in 1727.

In order to equip the Royal Mint with up to date steam powered machinery, a purpose built facility was constructed at Tower Hill nearby and was in production by 1810.   In the 1920’s in a development which has shaped much of its subsequent history, the Royal Mint began seeking orders from overseas countries. This followed the establishment of an independent committee to examine new designs for coins, medals and seals.

By 1964 output exceeded 1000 million coins a year. 0n the 1st March 1966 the Government announced the decision to adopt a decimal system of currency. The task of striking hundreds of millions of decimal coins in readiness for decimalization in 1971, while at the same time not neglecting overseas customers, made the construction of a new mint essential. James Callahan was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time and the decision was made to relocate the Mint to Llantrisant and in 1968 the first coins were officially struck by the Queen.

In 1975, the last coin, a gold sovereign, was struck at Tower Hill and by 1980 the Tower Hill buildings were finally relinquished. The Royal Mint at Llantrisant is about to establish a visitors centre which should be open in May of this year and we are looking forward to a visit where we will be able to see some of the early coins that Chris showed us on the screen in his excellent power point presentation.   

Bargoed

We started the Bargoed walk in the Pengam area. Soon after starting, we came across a very tall sculpture in a small public garden. The 40ft statue, which is called the Lady of the Stream, was erected in 2009. It stands on a former ash-tip, which was reclaimed as a playground and then became rundown. The statue depicts a woman watching over children in the area, supposedly in reference to Pengam folklore of youngsters drowning in a stream.

Moving away from the town we crossed Gelli-Gaer Common with the usual grazing horses. It was a grey day and the environment quite bleak. Within the Capel Gwladys area, there are regular shaped mounds, which are variously described as marching camps or Roman Practice camps. The Roman army was in the area from 47AD – 113AD and used these camps regularly to practice making temporary fortified camps by digging ditches and making ramparts.

We continued in a generally northerly direction towards Pen-y-garreg farm and then Deri where we turned southeast. In Parc Cwm Darren we came upon a memorial stone ‘In memory of those whose lives were touched by the tragic events at the Darren Colliery on October 29th 1909’, below are listed the 27 names of those who died.

As we came down the valley, we followed a fast flowing stream; a bridge we crossed had a sign nearby ‘Caradoc’s bridge’. Caradoc was a Silurian leader who fought against the Roman occupation in Wales, but was eventually captured and taken to Rome. It is believed that this bridge near Deri has been called Caradoc’s bridge in his memory. The valley was steep sided and had layers of stone beside the watercourse. One area had some lovely Gorse bushes in full bloom.

1459597376[1]Approaching the built up area of Bargoed, a large viaduct towered over us with many arches, some people scrambled down a steep slope to reach its base while most of us detoured through the local streets to come down more gradually.

Our route now took us through a recently created woodland park – The Bargoed Woodland Park, which covers Bargoed, Britannia and Gilfach collieries. The country park has been created from barren waste ground left after the closure of the last mine in 1985. 90,000 new trees, 6500 bulbs and 8000 wild flowers have been planted.  This was once part of the largest colliery tip in Europe. LS Lowry immortalised it in his 1965 painting ‘Bargoed’. The Rhymney River flows through the park and after the winter rains it was in full flow, there were rapids in places and a dipper was spotted flitting across the rocks midstream. 

Coming closer to the town again a pretty stream ran next to the path and we passed under a modern road bridge with a stylish profile. Our final stretch took us alongside the river Rhymney through a quiet wooded valley to return to the cars.

Total distance covered was 8.75miles and the climb was 950ft.

Penperlleni

this walk was our first since meteorological spring began and it was certainly a lovely day, lots of sunshine with some cloud and not too cold. Basically it was a lovely gentle country walk with swathes of wild primroses in places.

The route took us south from Penperlleni towards Little Mill and almost immediately we saw our first lambs of the season.  Next we approached Cwm Hir, we wondered what awaited us (given its English pronunciation) but we walked through it without spotting anything of note.

Later there was an old metal, elaborate structure which carried a water course over a railway. From here we made our way to Glascoed and then towards Monkswood. We were now approaching the River Usk and as we passed through a field with a large flock of sheep an oldfashioned windmill could be seen in the distance. Lunch on the banks of the Usk was delightful in the sunshine with the fast flowing river very close.

Unfortunately we had to climb uphill straight after eating (always a challenge) but definitely worth it. Towards the end we passed a lane with a sign ‘No Parking  Entrance in use DAY and NIGHT’ – pretty impressive since the lane was blocked by a fallen tree.

We reached the cars and as we took off boots, the weather changed and we had a short flurry of sleet/hail, we had covered 7.25 miles and 900ft.

Wenvoe Weight Watchers

As you know we opened a class in the village hall in November 2015, started with just a few loyal members and now have more than 20 fantastic ladies in our group and growing. The class has been wonderfully successful, with a whopping 26 stone 8.5lb lost in the first 10 weeks of 2016!

Our group has become close knit, full of support and ideas to help everyone else and generally a chance to have a chat, cuppa and a giggle. I certainly go home after class full of inspiration and lifted in spirits.

The class is at 7.30pm on Thursdays, and a warm welcome is always given – if you feel like now is the right time to lose those extra pounds then why not come & see me. If you are looking for something to do with the children this Easter break, why not try our recipe for Iced Easter Biscuits:

Ingredients
225g Butter
125g Caster Sugar
275g Plain White Flour, plain
50g Semolina, Dried, or ground rice
50g Icing Sugar

Instructions
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 4/180°C/fan oven 160°C/350°F.
Beat the butter until softened and gradually beat in the caster sugar.
Add the flour and semolina, working it in with a wooden spoon
Gather the dough together with your hands, then knead for a few moments until smooth.
Roll out the dough thinly on a lightly floured surface. Stamp out shapes using biscuit cutters.
Arrange on baking sheets.
Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until light golden brown.
Cool on wire racks.
Mix the icing sugar with a little water to make a smooth glace icing, then use this to decorate the biscuits.

Caroline
http://www.weightwatchers.co.uk

Woodland block decision

In July 2015 Redrow put forward proposals to remove a woodland block consisting of 27 mature trees from their Grange housing development in order to accommodate an additional 3 properties. This was contrary to Redrow’s original application which promised to retain and improve the woodland block as a wildlife corridor which provided an important visual buffer for Clos Llanfair residents.

The Vale council received a number of local objections including a petition from Clos Llanfair residents, and a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) was placed on the woodland block by the Council’s Tree Officer. Redrow made an objection but following letters of support from WRAG and local residents, planning committee then voted to confirm this order.

In October 2015 Redrow amended their plans and proposed to retain the woodland but to incorporate the trees as part of the rear gardens of the new properties. This was also deemed unacceptable by local residents and council ecology officers so our objections continued.

Finally, this month Redrow gave in and reverted back to a plan similar to their original proposals with only one additional dwelling. This reserved matters application was approved unanimously by planning committee and work can now continue on the next phase of housing at the development with the woodland retained and protected. Additional S106 payments will be granted to Wenvoe to compensate for the additional dwelling.

We would like to thank Tree officer Margaret Krzemieniewski, Ecology officer Erica Dixon, Councillor Jonathan Bird, and local residents who all played a part in the successful outcome of this case.

Full plans can be viewed via the Vale of Glamorgan Planning Register

Footsteps – Bedwas

Parking in Bedwas outside a church, we set off up hill walking towards Trethomas. Bedwas’s origins in the coal industry were clear as looking to our left huge spoil heaps crowned the hills; for the first time this year (on one of our walks) topped by a lovely blue sky.

As we progressed up the hill we came upon a ruin and this was to prove to be a feature of the day. It was a route dotted with ruins and even small slag heaps, one looking like a pyramid. From Trethomas our route took us northeast, west towards Ty canol, then in a generally northerly direction above the Sirhowy valley.

As we headed across a waterlogged field we found an old green lane with trees arching overhead, casting dappled shadows in the sunlight and dry underfoot – lovely. We came upon a farm and a sheep dog decided to join us. I’ll refer to it as ‘he’ but in truth he had such a thick coat that we couldn’t tell whether it was a male or female and one of our party named him/her ‘Fluff’.

On came Fluff through the farm gates (which he could have got under), across a series of fast flowing streams and through an area overgrown with bracken and brambles, all this uphill. At this point he got fed up with the rough going and went through a hole in the fence and ran across an open field – as if to say ‘what on earth are you doing scrambling there when there’s this lovely field to run across’.

We assumed that he’d got a bit bored with us as we watched him run off to herd some sheep in the distance. We continued upwards and, as we looked back, could see Fluff looking at us from the other side of a fence around the field below us. Now we thought 'he’s on the wrong side of that fence so that’s the last we’ll see of him'.

Still climbing, we were confident we’d lost him until 5-10 minutes later there he was again walking alongside us. We decided that if he stuck with us for the whole walk we’d bring him back home by car. Then we arrived at a boggy bit of moorland where a farmer and his wife were putting out feed for their cattle.

Being farmers they were well equipped and produced a dog lead, put it on the dog and lifted him into their tractor cab. They were amazed at how far he’d followed us and promised to take him back home. We carried on over the top of the ridge at the head of the valley and headed south. We were exposed to a very cold wind and even though the sun was shining brightly, we kept moving to stay warm.

Dark clouds appeared in the distance and cleared off quickly. There were superb views out to the channel and we could see England clearly. As we started to descend we came through some very wet lanes, some flooded. One was so deep that we walked tentatively through it, trying not to create any waves which would have allowed water into our boots.

Soon we found a high sided lane, which became our refuge for lunch. Towards the end of our break we heard the sound of a hunting horn, moving away and then coming closer and closer. A shadow passing across us let us know they were in the field behind us. A lone hound went bounding up the lane in front of us.

footsteps02Some time later the master in his red coat came out of the field and passed us, followed closely by a pack of hounds, none of them paying us any attention so intent on their task were they. Four black jacketed riders and another red jacket joined them from the opposite direction and they disappeared back down the lane. One of them said they were out training and we hadn’t seen a fox. Some distance away we could see sheep on the hill flocking together and rushing across the hill side, we hoped none of them were pregnant ewes.

We packed up and continued, mostly down hill and crossing very full streams. Arriving in Bedwas we had walked 8 miles and climbed 1400ft. All day we’d been saying isn’t this marvellous – no rain and sunshine from start to finish magic!

Tuesday Group

TUESDAY GROUP

AUTUMN PROGRAMME

15th September – Helen Joy – Porky Tails.

29th September – Lynn Oliver – My family in the Great War.

6th October – Lorna Pearson – Humorous Slant with a Welsh Flavour.

20th October – Linda Burnell – Dowsing.

3rd November – John Lewis – Sarah Jane – Accessories.

17th November – Roy Gee- Tales – It shouldn’t happen to a Tour Guide.

1st December – Rosemary Scadden – The History of Insole Court.

15th December – Christmas Dinner.

As everyone can see Irene has once again sorted out a very interesting and varied programme. We would welcome any new members – why not come along to our first meeting for a taster of our meetings.

 

Sons & Lovers

by DH Lawrence

In between newer books, Barry Library often select classics for us, which are always received with mixed feelings. Those of us who had not read them before, are glad of a 2nd chance. Those who HAVE read them before, find their impressions now, with the maturity of years, and from a different era, are quite different from their teenage years.

All of us agreed that the book was very well written, with excellent descriptions of the landscape, scenery, flowers, and the hardship of the times, but we felt the characters were not as successfully depicted. The mother of the family was a very strong character, from a cultured, affluent family, who had "married beneath her", and her husband soon felt inferior and inadequate. He took refuge in alcohol to bolster his ego, and, his aggression fuelled by drink, was cruel to his sons. They in turn despised him but worshipped their mother, and her relationship with all her sons, was so unnaturally strong as to be almost incestuous.

William was adored and seen to be his mother's favourite, and Paul, the main character was attracted to 2 ladies, Clara and Miriam. His mother disapproved of both, and did not think them "suitable". Paul also seemed to find them unsatisfactory, yet could not allow either out of his life, or search for someone else. We found endless descriptions of long conversations, and thoughts, about these ladies were tedious and frustrating, and never seemed to lead anywhere.

When the immensely strong matriarch eventually fell ill, the balance of power shifted, and the long, slow lingering death was very well portrayed. The painful end, after she was helped by Paul to take an overdose of morphine was quite horrific.

We found it difficult to mark this book out of 10, as is our custom. It was VERY well-written, and the graphic detail of the tedium of poverty, cruelty, really hard work, long hours, and repression, underlined the comfort and ease of our lives in the last half of the 20th century. But the book's content had no "feel good" factor at all, and was in fact quite depressing. So our enjoyment was much less than our acknowledgement of Lawrence's craftsmanship. (A few of us wondered why the book is no longer part of the A Level Syllabus.) So the overall score was a healthy 7.5 – but with a "spinach warning"! (Good for us but not enjoyable!).

This was totally unlike the scrumptious feast of homegrown Welsh strawberries and cream, and delicious cakes, provided by our hostess that evening – Thank You, Babs, you're a hard act to follow!

 

Footsteps – Rockfield and St. Maughans

Rockfield, a country village just outside Monmouth was our starting point. From the church we walked a short way on road and transferred almost immediately into a field with the occasional pale lilac of Lady’s Smock flowers and white flowers on spikes of Annual Nettle. We turned west and went over a field of stubble with evidence of recent muck spreading; ahead were two oak trees just coming into leaf and in the next field was a sole Canada goose. We passed a group of Longhorn cattle, many having one horn pointing upwards and the other downwards. Avoiding a growing crop by keeping to the field margin brought us to a restored farm building in a delightful spot with a stream and trees adjacent. We continue north-west and reached St. Cadoc’s church at Llangattock-Vibon-Avel where the lych-gate has a plaque commemorating the meeting of Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1904. The Rolls-Royce Company contributed towards the refurbishment of the lych-gate and Chares Rolls is buried in the churchyard because his family the Llangattocks have their roots here. Taking a path along the edge of a growing crop we reached woodland and had a lunch break sitting on a fallen tree trunk.

Continuing on a path through the woodland we started to go north-east; after a section uphill on grass we came to a group of bullocks and passed them by remaining close to the hedge. As we left their field they bellowed loudly. We now reached a stream down in a fairly steep gully without any obvious crossing places and were forced to take a detour. As an alternative was being established there was time to enjoy the groups of spring flowers on the top of the bank and birdsong from the trees. Once we picked up the original intended route we headed towards St. Maughans. The sky was overcast and the hills ahead showed misty light rain but so far we were being lucky. The church tower at St. Maughans had square spaces in it rather like a dovecote but possibly to amplify the sound of the bells. Regrettably colours in the landscape were muted and the undulating hills ahead were mostly grey.

We reached Tregate Bridge over the River Monnow which takes the road over into England. In the early 1600’s at the time of Roman Catholic persecutions this area was the scene of much clandestine activity; many of the landowners here were sympathetic to the Catholic cause and Mass was held illegally along the river bank. On occasions Catholics fled from England and sought refuge in Wales and vice versa. We continued with the river on our left leaving three realistic scarecrows in a field behind us. Ahead willows marked the borders of two fields while in one place the river bank had eroded and collapsed. On the other side of the river we could just see the remnants of a Motte and Bailey. As many will know this is a form of castle of stone or wood on raised earthworks and surrounded by a protective ditch and fence. They became common after the Norman Conquest.

Our final leg was south-west and we took a track which brought us past an ancient square tower by a farm.The earlier sixteenth century building here was named Plas-yn-y-berth (the mansion within the long fence) and had been a manor house, a mesne manor of the Lordship of Monmouth i.e. within the domain of the Lordship. Back in the modern world there was a camper van by the farm with a young child sitting looking expectant about a drive. We crossed the stubbly field to go towards Rockfield. The road into the village passed a studio where some famous rock groups recorded: Led Zeppelin did some work and Queen recorded "Bohemian Rhapsody" here. All in all what appeared to be a quiet corner of Monmouthshire had given us a most interesting and varied walk.

ANSWER THE HEDGEHOG SOS.

The humble hedgehog is now as endangered as the tiger and could disappear within the next decade so now is the time for action so what can we do?

Hedgehogs travel over great distances – the size of 2 football pitches to find food but it’s becoming more difficult with the increase of walls, fences and other boundaries in their way. A hedgehog – hole at the bottom of a fence or a brick removed from the wall will allow hedgehogs safe passage across gardens to forage more widely. Such a small thing can make a really big difference to the life of these creatures. Slugs and snails are food for hedgehogs but don’t use slug pellets

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