Upper Swansea Valley
As activities like quarrying, iron forging and coal mining were carried out in the Upper Swansea valley, it can be regarded as one of the cradles of the industrial revolution in Britain.
History
The county of Powys is spread over an area of 2000 square miles. At the southern tip of this county, the Upper Swansea valley is located. The north part of this county is the foothills of Snowdonia. The south part is near to the industrial centers in this valley. The Breconshire section of the Swansea valley is situated in the ancient parish of Ystradgynlais. In the past, this was an agricultural area of 12,000 acres. It cannot be said precisely when coal mining was started in this valley. However, in the early eighteenth century, iron was created at the Ynysdedwyn Iron works. As iron core and coal was found in this region and due to the development of the hot blast furnace of David Thomas (where the local anthracite was used), the industrialization of the Upper Swansea valley accelerated. The workers in these new industries settled in small communities along the valley. Finally, coal mining and steel production decelerated in this region. However, it left a permanent mark on this area.
Education
The prominent schools in the Upper Swansea valley are the Coelbren school and the Caehopkin school. The education which these schools offered altered the lives of people in this region and exposed them to the chances that were earlier denied to them. The Coelbren school was established in 1894 to fulfill the requirements of the increasing local population of miners in the coal pits that were getting developed. The community that was located in an arc of the Brecon and Neath railway, was comprised of some cottages, farms and smallholdings. The educated people looked for employment in farms, coal pits, local quarries and at the tin works. The Caehopkin school was established amidst conditions similar to the Coelbren school. The new developments in the local industries expanded the local community and created the need of a school for the locality.
Limestone deposits
On the northern part of the South Wales coal field, the limestone deposits exist and these continue towards the west in the Tawe valley. At Glyntawe, the limestone deposits are near the summit of the hills. So, these peaks have been used for many centuries. Limestone was available from Cribarth and further burnt in large kilns. Then, it was mixed with mortar or kept over the land. There was a time when the quarries supplied many furnaces at the Ynyscedwn Iron works. Huge amounts of stone were transported down the valley by pack animals.
Ynyscedwyn House
Ynyscedwyn House is situated in the parish of Ystradgynlais. For a long span of time, this large estate played an important role regarding the development and history of the Upper Swansea valley and south west Breconshire and the nearby counties. Regarding the etymology of the word Ynyscedwyn, some say that the origin is from the personal names Cedwyn or Edwin. Some others claim that the original word is Ynys y coed gwyn which means Island of the white wood.