| Commercial Street, Aberdare | |
Commercial Street developed as one of the main centres of commerce in Aberdare from the late 1840's. This shot reveals the hustle and bustle of the town centre in a period when Aberdare was at the peak of its prosperity. An Aberdare Urban District Council Trolleybus, a service which was introduced in 1915, is working its way up the Street through the pedestrians. The population of Aberdare rose throughout the Nineteenth Century and stood at 50,830 in 1911, by 1921 population reached a peak of 55,007. Thereafter, as the depression in the coal industry began to bite, there was a decline in population until by the end of the Second World War the figure stood at 38,930. The population has stayed relatively constant to the present day. |
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The Soldiers were probably resident at Windsor House in Trecynon that was used during the war as a hospital for wounded servicemen. The military hospital was opened in September 1915 by Lord Aberdare, staffed by the Red Cross there was accommodation for 60 patients. This site was originally used in as a hospital in 1875 but had been converted by the Merthyr Board of Guardians for use as an Industrial School. The industrial school had accommodation for 120 pauper children and orphans who would have been taught skills including agriculture and shoemaking to enable them to find gainful employment after leaving. |
This photograph of a group of soldiers standing outside the Aberdare YMCA building was taken during the First World War. The YMCA building was located at 23 Commercial Street on the corner with Gloucester Street. |
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The area at the lower end of Commercial Street has changed dramatically since this photograph was taken in the late Nineteenth century. This image shows the original Iron Bridge which connected the centre of Aberdare to Abernant. This bridge dates from at least 1844 as that is the earliest recorded date of the Iron Bridge public house named after it. The Iron Bridge Hotel is the larger building on the left of the photograph while directly opposite was the Commercial Hotel. The Iron Bridge Hotel closed in 1982 and was demolished, along with the Commercial Hotel and other commercial properties, in 1983 during the construction of the Aberdare Bypass. Right: The Iron Bridge Commercial Street |
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