Category: Uncategorized
-
A gift for our community
You’ve probably walked past St John’s Church a thousand times. You may have thought that its nothing more than an overgrown cemetery and former Scout Hall. You may not have even realised it was called St John’s. I would bet that you didnt know about its history and its unique place in some of the…
-
Frequently asked Questions and Answers
We’ve gathered a list of questions and answers to cover the most common things we get asked regarding the plans for St John’s on Llantrisant Road, Tonyrefail. If you have other questions then please let us know via email or via the comments section of this blog post. Q). Where is St John’s? A). It’s…
-
The Story of Edward II and his links to Tonyrefail and St John’s
Edward II was born in 1284, took the throne in 1307 and died a little under 20 years later in 1327. An official Welshman having been born in Caernarfon Castle, he was 23 when he took the throne after his older brother Alphonso died and his father Edward the first had also passed. A year…
-
Where did St John’s come from?
We continue to research the history of St John’s and know that originally it was the only place of worship in our village of Tonyrefail (or Ton yr Efail ) going all the way back to the 11th century. 1092 to be exact. At roughly the same time in Jerusalem a hospital was being built…
-
Remembering the Navel Colliery disaster
Today we remember the 101 men and boys who tragically lost their lives at 1.15am on the 10th of December 1880 in the Naval Colliery disaster, Penygraig. Of the 101 that passed, we at the Friends of St Johns are custodians of the graves of 25 souls buried there, who include members of the Lewis,…
-
The Naval Colliery disaster
It was a dark December night, with collars turned up to guard against the cold and warm breath floating on the night air. Young James Lewis aged 15 and his father, David Lewis, made their way to the Naval Colliery, Pen-y-Graig to start their long and strenuous night shift in the dark and treacherous bowels…
-
Tunnels ?
I remember going to a friends house once…. Well, to her grandmothers actually. She lived on Collenna road. She had lived in Tonyrefail all her life and was in her 70’s. This was now 30 years ago, when I was a child. Bored, we were looking for something to do and the lady said, “go…
-
Hello world!
Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!