E Thomas & Williams Trail
Aberdare
There are a number of locations across Aberdare, in the immediate area surrounding St Elvan's, linked to E. Thomas & Williams. The locations of these are outlined below in a trail which visitors can follow to learn more about the company and its history
Prior to exploring the trail, visitors are encouraged to read the full article on E Thomas & Williams, Aberdare here
*Please note, visitors wishing to visit all the locations will require a vehicle if travelling to the outlying parts of the trail*
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
Our thanks also go to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Pen Y Cymoedd Community Fund for their ongoing support of our heritage work, and to the National Lottery Heritage Fund 15 Minute Heritage programme, National Lottery Players, Cadw and Welsh Government for their support of the E. Thomas & Williams Ltd project and creation of this trail
Prior to exploring the trail, visitors are encouraged to read the full article on E Thomas & Williams, Aberdare here
*Please note, visitors wishing to visit all the locations will require a vehicle if travelling to the outlying parts of the trail*
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
Our thanks also go to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Pen Y Cymoedd Community Fund for their ongoing support of our heritage work, and to the National Lottery Heritage Fund 15 Minute Heritage programme, National Lottery Players, Cadw and Welsh Government for their support of the E. Thomas & Williams Ltd project and creation of this trail
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. The location is is still in existence today, and can be reached within easy walking distance from St Elvan's. Visitors are advised to begin their journey at the church, parking in the adjacent High Street Car Park and speaking to the staff at the front desk for guidance on following this trail, and additional E. Thomas & Williams information and exhibits now housed within 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
Graig Street can again be reached by walking up Monk Street from St Elvan's, or by car for those wishing to also take in the third location of the trail in nearby Ferndale
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, Ferndale
*Please note, reaching this location in Ferndale from Aberdare, will require use of a vehicle*
From Ferndale, visitors will then return to Aberdare for the fourth location on the trail
Location IV
Cynon Valley Museum
Gadlys, Aberdare
Cynon Valley Museum is a local history museum and gallery space nestled in the north of the Cynon Valley, in the town of Aberdare. The Museum is managed by the Cynon Valley Museum Trust and visiting the museum is free of charge
There visitors can learn about many fascinating stories of the Cynon Valley and the people who have lived here throughout history through their displays, including a section dedicated to the mining industry and of course E. Thomas & Williams itself
There are also two gallery spaces with a regular programme of exhibitions featuring local artists, community groups and local stories
There visitors can learn about many fascinating stories of the Cynon Valley and the people who have lived here throughout history through their displays, including a section dedicated to the mining industry and of course E. Thomas & Williams itself
There are also two gallery spaces with a regular programme of exhibitions featuring local artists, community groups and local stories
Location V
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
The location is within walking distance of St Elvan's
Location VI
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 our sister church of St Fagan's
Location VII
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
Evan Thomas & Williams are believed to be the oldest surviving firm of safety lamp manufacturers in the world, and it is firmly 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
The company continues to operate from their base in the Robertstown Industrial Estate here in Aberdare and where they have a wealth of additional historical information and resources available on site and on their own website
For further information visit www.ethomasandwilliamsltd.com
E. Thomas & Williams 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, plus a lasting digital and physical display about the company, here at St Elvan's
We hope you have enjoyed exploring the locations around Aberdare relating to E. Thomas & Williams
Visitors are invited to end their journey back at St Elvan's, where the digitised collection of Brian Davies' mining safety lamps are available to view, together with the wider permanent heritage display about the church and town, and refreshment is available at our in-house coffee shop Spires
The creation of this trail was supported by a 15 Minute Heritage Grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Our thanks go to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Pen Y Cymoedd Community Fund for their ongoing support of our heritage work, and to the National Lottery Heritage Fund 15 Minute Heritage programme, National Lottery Players, Cadw and Welsh Government for their support of this project
Additional trails, supported by our ongoing heritage work, are also 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. It is fortunate however that, through Brian's work with St Elvan's on this project, the collection of E. Thomas & Williams lamps which he amassed throughout the course of his life have been professionally photographed and will remain accessible through a permanent digital display, accessible here at St Elvan's
The Brian Davies Collection is now available to view on the mezzanine level at St Elvan's, Monday to Saturday from 10:00 to 16:00
Below are a series of images from the final talk Brian gave at St Elvan's, which include Brian imparting his exceptional knowledge of mining safety lamps and E. Thomas & Williams, together with images of Brian's own E. Thomas & Williams collection, in situ in his home and on display at St Elvan's, as part of this project
Diolch yn fawr iawn Brian - diolch o galon
Cysgu yn dawel ein hanwyl gyfaill
Diolch yn fawr iawn Brian - diolch o galon
Cysgu yn dawel ein hanwyl gyfaill