E Thomas & Williams Trail
Aberdare
There are a number of locations across Aberdare, in the immediate area surrounding St Elvan's, are linked to E. Thomas & Williams. The locations of these are outlined below
*Please note, visitors wishing to visit all the locations will require a vehicle if travelling to the outlying parts of the trail*
Prior to exploring the trail, visitors are encouraged to read the full article on E Thomas & Williams, Aberdare here
The creation of this trail was supported by a 15 Minute Heritage Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund
St Elvan's remains indebted to Brian Davies of the Great Western Colliery Trust for his support in the creation of this trail and accompanying article on E. Thomas & Williams, Aberdare
*Please note, visitors wishing to visit all the locations will require a vehicle if travelling to the outlying parts of the trail*
Prior to exploring the trail, visitors are encouraged to read the full article on E Thomas & Williams, Aberdare here
The creation of this trail was supported by a 15 Minute Heritage Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund
St Elvan's remains indebted to Brian Davies of the Great Western Colliery Trust for his support in the creation of this trail and accompanying article on E. Thomas & Williams, Aberdare
Location I
Evan Thomas, Ironmonger & Safety Lamp Manufacturer
7 Cardiff Street, Aberdare
The site where it all began...
Evan Thomas, Ironmonger & Safety Lamp Manufacturer was founded at 7 Cardiff Street in Aberdare town centre, just around the corner from St Elvan's itself
Location II
Cambrian Lamp Works
Graig Street, Aberdare
In 1877, as the business continued to grow, Thomas moved to new premises at Graig Street, just off Monk Street, Aberdare, above St Elvan's Parish Hall, where it became known as the Cambrian Lamp Works. It was here that this world renowned business grew and developed, exporting across the globe, until 1978, when Foundry Town and the works were tragically destroyed by fire, and Aberdare lost one of its most historic and familiar buildings
With the lamp works itself went all the machinery, tooling, drawings, raw materials, and most of the company's unfinished stock and to regard the fire as a serious set-back is nothing short of an extremely gross understatement
The company survived however and moved to a new factory in Robertstown, where E. Thomas & Williams still operates today
Location III
Ironmonger's Store
17 High Street, Ferndale
As the lamp business grew, Thomas also continued in ironmongery however and, in 1879, went into partnership with John Davies in the ironmongery business that Davies ran in nearby Ferndale, located across Maerdy Mountain
An ironmongers still exists in the town today at 17 High Street
*Please note, reaching this location in Ferndale from Aberdare, will require use of a vehicle*
Location IV
Evan Thomas' Home Address
8 Gadlys Terrace, Aberdare
Evan Thomas was born in 1829 at Glynneath. He then lived in both Morgan Street, and at 8 Gadlys Terrace, Aberdare Thomas passed away in 1887, aged 58, at his home in Aberdare
The address is located, just past St John's Church, on the outskirts of Aberdare town
Location V
Lewis Williams' Home Address
Stag Hotel, Harriet Street, Trecynon
The Stag Hotel, later The Full Moon, has unfortunately been demolished and is now the site of three private homes
A listing for the Stag Hotel is available in the RCT Library Service Digital Archive however at archive.rctcbc.gov.uk/cy
The location is also listed in a blog of historical public houses of the Cynon Valley here
As can be seen from the map, The Stag Hotel was located near to St Fagan's Church
Location VI
E Thomas and Williams Ltd
Robertstown Industrial Estate
E. Thomas & Williams continue to sell approx. 1500 fine crafted lamps per month for sale around the world and are the only approved manufacturer of safety lamps in Wales
Today, 70% of the factory output goes for export to countries as widespread as America, Canada, Scandinavia and throughout Europe with only a small proportion used in mining. It is hoped that the appearance of cheaper imitation lamps on the market will not affect the company's sales or the future of this long-established local company that has been in existence over 140 years
Evan Thomas & Williams are believed to be the oldest surviving firm of safety lamp manufacturers in the world
The company continues to operate from Aberdare and has a wealth of additional historical information and resources available on their own website. For further information visit www.ethomasandwilliamsltd.com
They remain an incredible and inspirational Aberdare success story and we are delighted to feature articles about the company, their product development and contribution to worldwide mining safety here at St Elvan's
We hope you have enjoyed exploring the locations around Aberdare relating to E. Thomas & Williams
The creation of this trail was supported by a 15 Minute Heritage Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Additional trails are available in the Heritage Resources section of our website
St Elvan's remains indebted to Brian Davies of the Great Western Colliery Trust for his support in the creation of this trail and accompanying article on E. Thomas & Williams, Aberdare
Brian sadly passed away in December 2023. His knowledge of the industrial heritage of this area was unsurpassed and he will be deeply missed by all who knew and worked with him
Diolch yn fawr iawn Brian - diolch o galon
Cysgu yn dawel ein hanwyl gyfaill