Sunday, January 29, 2006

Blackwood/ Chartist Bridge










caerphilly.gov.uk
Press Release | 19.10.2005
Chartist Bridge

The Chartist Bridge is an impressive new landmark


Caerphilly county borough council has officially named a striking new bridge being built as part of a major new road scheme in Blackwood.

The impressive structure, which spans the valley between Oakdale and Blackwood town centre, has been named 'Chartist Bridge' in recognition of the historical link the area has with the Chartist Uprising of the 19th Century.

Many of the protesters involved in the march to Newport in 1839 started their journey from Blackwood and the surrounding communities. The major demonstration led to a bloody confrontation between troops and protesters outside Westgate Hotel in Newport town centre. The Chartist movement demanded that the 'People's Charter' be adopted which set out changes to voting rights and electoral reform.

The council's cabinet agreed the new name at a meeting this week - which is also 'Local Democracy Week'.

Cabinet Member Cllr Keith Griffiths welcomed the decision, "It is timely that 166 years after that fateful day we recognise the part the Chartists played in winning all the benefits we enjoy today. Chartist Bridge marks the point where many protesters, led by Zephaniah Williams, crossed the valley on their fateful march to Newport on the steps of the Westgate Hotel.

"These valleys have a proud heritage and this new structure will act as a major landmark that reflects the past while looking to the future and the benefits this new road scheme will bring the area," he added.

The bridge is part of the Sirhowy Enterprise Way road scheme which will link Blackwood, Oakdale, Pontllanfraith and the surrounding areas. The 4.7 km road will help bring thousands of new jobs to the area by opening up Oakdale Business Park and will also ease traffic congestion in Blackwood Town Centre.

Source here

Kennington Park/ Chartist Demonstration 1848

[Note: The following fragments were a result of online searches on the topic of Chartism (with a starting point re John Frost and the Newport Chartist Insurrection). The online record of the photo of the Chartist rally on Kennington Common in April 1848, opened a thread that charts a history of enclosure of the Kennington Common and the creation of the public park (cf also the creation of the Oval Cricket Ground). Public space, demonstration. Online records/research. Writing/publishing history. Archive. bak.spc. flickr. -JW]


[1]

The Chartist rally on Kennington Common in April 1848














The Chartist rally on Kennington Common in April 1848 that marked the last high tide of Chartism as a mass movement.

Source:
CHARTIST ANCESTORS
http://chartists.net/


What did your family do in the revolution?

Millions signed the three great Chartist petitions of 1839 to 1848. Thousands were active in those years in the campaign to win the vote, secret ballots, and other democratic rights that we now take for granted.

Chartist Ancestors lists many of those who risked their freedom, and sometimes their lives, because of their participation in the Chartist cause. The names included on the site are drawn from newspapers, court records and books of the time, from later histories and other sources.

I would like to thank the many historians, researchers and the descendents of those associated with Chartism who have helped with this site since it was launched in 2003.

Mark Crail

Source here

[2]















See also vauxhallsociety.org.uk here for photo's and information on Kennington Park:

Kennington Park was formerly Kennington Common and consists of approximately 20 acres which is still part of the Duchy of Cornwall but is managed by Lambeth Borough Council. From the earliest recorded times the Common was widely used for fairs and gatherings of allsorts. Preachers including both Wesley and Whitefield held services on the Common to very large audiences sometimes as many as 50,000 gathered to hear their sermons. In 1848 the Chartists held a meeting there and though the Duke of Wellington called in hundreds of police the meeting ended quietly. The park lodge, known as the Prince Consort's Model Lodge was designed by Henry Roberts.

Camberwell New Road was built in 1818 splitting the Common in two. The southern part, where the Surrey Gallows used to be erected became the site of St Mark's Church built in 1822. Interestingly Parliament only passed the Act to use the common land in this way was not passed until 1824, six days before consecration. The rest of the park was enclosed in 1825 but seems to have been badly managed as in 1852 Thomas Miller said 'Kennington Common is but a name for a small grassless square, surrounded with houses and poisoned by the stench of vitriol works and by black open sluggish ditches.'
Following the formation of the park locals could no longer play games of cricket and formed the Oval Cricket Club which was leased to the Surrey Cricket Club for a nominal fee. In 1869 Doulton and Co donated a statue by George Tintworth - Pilgrimage of Life to the park.

(...)

The following is an extract from the six volume, history of Old and New London by Walter Thornbury published between 1872-1878


"Kennington Common," wrote Thomas Miller, in his "Picturesque Sketches in London," published in 1852, "is but a name for a small grassless square, surrounded with houses, and poisoned by the stench of vitriol works, and by black, open, sluggish ditches; what it will be when the promised alterations are completed, we have yet to see." That the place, however, has since become conpletely changed in appearance we need scarcely state, for it was converted into a public pleasureground, under the Act 15 and 16 Vict., in June of the above-mentioned year. It now affords a very pretty promenade. What was once but a dismal waste, some twenty acres in extent, is now laid out in grass-plats, intersected by broad and well-kept gravelled walks bordered with flower-beds. A pair of the model farm-cottages of the late Prince Consort were erected in the middle of the western side, near the entrance, about the year 1850. More recently, in addition to the improvements effected by the change of the Common to an ornamental promenade, a church, dedicated to St. Agnes, was built on the site of the vitriol works.

On the first formation of the "park," the sum of � 1,800 annually was voted by the Government; but this sum was subsequently reduced, until, in the year 1877, it was only � 1,370; and these reductions had been made although there had been an increase in the total sum devoted to public parks".

Source here

[3]

See also interesting wikipedia discussion re Kenington Park, esp re enclosure following 1848 Chartist Demonstration here:

NOTES ON THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON KENNINGTON PARK

* Introduction: I was living right next to Kennington Park for eight years fbefore I started to realise it had an interesting history. Much of my information was gathered in an informal way rather through scholarly research (although I have now done a PhD) so exact or authoritative references are difficult to give on all points. However some notes may help those interested in the quality of information offered here, especially as this is an issue for Wikipedia.

Another point is that I aimed to give a sense of the history by inferring things from context. e.g. William Blake lived nearby and being the person he was must surely have visited the spouting hole that the common was. Tom Paine visited Blake and we can imagine that with their interest in democracy Blake would have taken Paine to the speakers corner. This is conjecture but it immediately gives a clearer sense of what was going on at the common (at least for those who know anything about Blake or Paine!)

Having said this much research needs to be done and I see this timeline a pointer for researchers rather than the last word summary of decades of scholarly work.

* The Chartists: The Chartist 'monster rally' of 10th April 1848 is what I'd call an incontravertible fact. The idea that the common was enclosed in response to that event was something that occured to me like a light going on in my head whilst immersed in this part of the research. It is my interpretation and seems very likely to be true rather than an incontravertible fact.

What is more certain is that historians have tended to represent the Chartists as a failure with 10th April 1848. Again I think that this is due to their vested interests rather than anything of a factual nature. See Dorothy Thompson's work for a more sympathetic approach.

According to her there is still no authoritative overview of Chartism. This is partly due to the fact that Chartism was a federation of small groups widely spread and partly the above mentioned bias against working class self activity.

The tired old case for Chartism as a failure can be found in "Failed Chartist Demonstration in London' History Today Vol 48 issue 4 pp 34/35 1998

* Cricket history. Details were taken from the web and have not been verified in archives. Note how the formation of the SCCC happened in time for cricket to be cleared from the common by the enclosure#

(...)

[ Photograph of Chartist Demonstration ]

"Just how the negative of the first photograph of a crowd taken by William Kilburn got to be kept in the Royal archives at Windsor Castle is another story I'd like to hear more about. That the right to such an iconic image of the dawn of modernity should be owned by the Queen of England an almost laughable reflection on the owning classes fear of the masses".

[4]

vauxhallandkennington.org.uk
KENNINGTON PARK
The Birthplace of People's Democracy
Based mainly on a pamphlet by Stefan Szczelkun (1997)

A short one hundred and fifty years ago Kennington Common, later to
be renamed Kennington Park, was host to a historic gathering which
can now be seen as the birth of modern British democracy. In reaction
to this gathering, the great Chartist rally of 10th April 1848, the common
was forcibly enclosed and the Victorian Park was built to occupy the
site.
The significance of Kennington Park goes back to its origins as a
common. What is important about this site is not the physical aspects of
its layout but the traditions of its usage, a usage which arises from its
unique position in South London. It is here that the road from
Buckingham Palace to Dover crosses the older road from the City of
London to Portsmouth. It was the last common before the centres of
power to the north of the river, particularly Parliament. It was first
recorded as a common on Rocque's 1746 map of London, but it may
well have been crucial as a public meeting place long before that.

(...)

Source here (pdf doc)


[5]

wikipedia: Kennington Park
here


Kennington Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kennington Park is in Kennington, London, England, in London SE11, and lies between Kennington Park Road and St Agnes Place. It was opened in 1854. Previously the site had been Kennington Common. This is where the Chartists gathered for their biggest 'monster rally' on 10 April 1848. Soon after this demonstration the common was enclosed and, sponsored by the royals, made into a public park.

Kennington Common was a site of public executions until 1800 as well as being the South London speakers corner. One of the most illustrious orators to speak here was John Wesley who is reputed to have attracted a crowd of 30,000.

Cricket may have first been played in London on the common. Today Kennington Park east is hosting the first inner London community cricket ground, sponsored by Surrey County Cricket Club whose home is nearby at The Oval.

In the 1970s the old tradition of mass gatherings returned to the park which was host to the start of many significant marches to Parliament.
Today this tendency is opposed by a few locals who prefer the model of the Victorian Park. The Friends of Kennington Park, FoKP, provides a local forum for this struggle.

(...)

* 1815 Feb 28th A mob breaks windows 'round the Horns'. LifeGuards called out to quell the mob. The Riot Act read.

* 1819 Peterloo Massacre signaled end of repression by violence. The sword replaced by cultural repression...

* 1824 St Marks Church by D.R.Roper, built on an enclosed corner of the common, over the river Effra. Promoted by The Church of England as the 'salvation of the common', twenty four years later it was the vicar of this church who led the move to enclose the whole common.
* 1832 1st Reform act, after which husting were set up on Kennington Common (outside The Horns)
* 1845 Surrey County Cricket Club formed (22 August formally constituted on 18th October) at the Horns

* 1845 -50 Irish famine kills a million and caused another 1.5 M to flee

* 1848, 10 April Chartist Monster Rally organised by Black Briton and leader of London Chartists William Cuffey. Chartism was a federation of different groups who had agreed on a set of political demands for an inclusive people's democracy. Chartism was the first national working class organisation and the rally on the 10th April 1848 the high point of the Chartist movement.
* 1848, 10 April First photograph of a crowd taken by William Kilburn probably from the Horns. The Daguerrotype negative is now kept by and copyright Queen Elizabeth and is kept in the Royal archives at Windsor Castle.

* This was a year known for its revolutions see Revolution of 1848
* 1851 More people in cities than country. London's population is 2.5 million.

* 1852 Kennington Common was enclosed. The petition for enclosure was led by vicar of St Marks, aided by the young Prince of Wales. No more gathering or vulgar recreations allowed (without permission!) The sacred mound levelled, the common fenced and landscaped into an urban park. Planted with mostly sapling London Plane trees (which are still living). North and South game pitches are fenced with iron railings (removed in WW2).

"Inclosure, thou'rt a curse upon the land, And tasteless was the wretch who thy existence plann'd" John Clare the peasant poet from Peterborough (1793-1864)
'Alberts Cottages' - 1852
Enlarge
'Alberts Cottages' - 1852

* 1853 Prince Consort Model Lodge (aka 'Prince Albert's Cottages') re-erected from the Great Exhibition (where they were provided by the Society for the Improvement of the Condition of the Labouring Classes) and back porch added.. Architect: Herny Roberts.
* 1853 September 13th The new toll house opens at the fork in Kennington Park Road was built
* 1854 Kennington Park opened maintained by the Crowns Office of Works
* 1859 Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens opened for the last time on the night of Monday, 25 July, 1859.
* 1861 Two panelled gardens laid our by John Gibson on the west side either side the lodge.
* 1861 A gymnasium erected (now the old Tennis courts)
* 1861 Meeting of the Juvenile Temperance Society allowed in the summer.(PRO work 1/71)
* 1862 Felix Slade drinking water fountain designed by Charles Driver. Slade donated this after feeling sorry for the local children who had been taking their refreshment from the cab horse trough.
* 1869 Sir Henry Doulton donates local artist George Tinworth's 'Fountain of Life'

* 1867 2nd Reform Act Lower middle class and artisans get the vote

* 1874 Parish of St Agnes, Kennington Park founded.
* 1877 Church of St Agnes, Kennington Park consecrated by the Lord Bishop of London.

* 1884 3rd Reform Act All adult men get the vote.

* 1887 KP maintenance passed over to London's Metropolitan Board of Works
* 1889 KP passed to London County Council that later became the Greater London Council, GLC, in 1965
* 1897 An Arts & Crafts style refreshment house erected which is now a rare survival.
* 1898 Princess of Wales Theatre, designed by WGR Sprague, opens at the height of the musichall era. (closed c1934 and site CP'd for flats 1949) Had one of earliest air conditioning systems.
* 1899 The first all-night illuminated footpath through a public park.

(...)

* 1977 Bob Marley visits the Rastafarian Temple frequently while recording Exodus. There is film footage of him playing football in the park (film by Howard Johnson then a student at the National Film School)
* 1978 The skateboard bowl was erected on the site of derelict tennis courts (source: eyewitness Andrew Sawdon)
* 1978 November 5th Public gatherings return to the park with a municipal firework display and bonfire.
* 1984 Oval Fountain designed by landscape architect Georgina Livingston.
* 1981 Lambeth Fightback Campaign used the park as an assembly point. The first recorded use for a political gathering since the enclosure.

Oval Fountain - site of public hangings until 1800
Enlarge
Oval Fountain - site of public hangings until 1800

* 1986 5th July Gay Pride march started in Kennington Park followed in the next ten years by many political rallies. The return of the commons spirit?
* 1988 The much loved swimming pool is closed, filled in and covered with tennis courts.
* 1990 31st March A branch of the historic Poll Tax march starts in the Park

* 1990 Nelson Mandela freed

* 1996 KP Management Advisory Committee (the MAC) started by Lambeth Council prepares lottery bid with the architect Carl Callaghan.
* 1997 16pp pamphlet on the parks history from a working class viewpoint written and produced by Stefan Szczelkun. In the following year it sells over 1000 copies in the local newsagents, closest bookshops and so on.
* 1998 10th April The 150th anniversary of the Chartist rally was commemorated by a motley bunch of laterday Chartists led by Marianne from KP estate and helped by Louisa and Stefan.
* 1998 12th April Reclaim the Streets and Liverpool Dockers March rally sets off from the park

(...)



[6]


http://bak.spc.org/kenningtonpark/


[JW- smiles to James ;)]

google/
The History of Kennington Park

Kennington Park birthplace of People's Democracy, LISTEN HERE to the Story. Fascinating information and stunning revelations including : ...
bak.spc.org/kenningtonpark/ - 3k - Cached - Similar pages

Kennington Park
birthplace of People's Democracy LISTEN HERE to the Story


Fascinating information and stunning revelations including :

Public Executions * A Radical Black Methodist * The World's First National Labour Movement * The Chartists * the Significance of 10th April 1848 * The World's First Photograph of a Crowd * The Occupation of Our Common by the Royal Park * The Horns Tavern and Charlie Chaplin * The Princess of Wales Theatre * The Scandal the Unmarked War Grave * The Squatters * 'Red Ted' * The Return of the Commons Spirit
DOWNLOAD the 13page Pamphlet (30k)

Stefan Szczelkun

Source here

[7]

flickr- Kennington Park here
Kennington Park
Created by szczel.


[a photographic community of interest, on the popular photo-sharing website flickr (recently acquired by yahoo)]

Saturday, January 28, 2006

Blackwood/ Owenite industrial community

Source here


Blackwood 1820
FOUNDER/LEADER: John Moggridge
Successfull 'Owenite' inspired community set up by local industrialist on
self-help/self-build basis. Small plots were let on long leases to local
miners who built their own cottages. Also shops, workshops, a school &
market house. Became the small town of Blackwood.
GRID REF: ST180973
REF: Villages of Vision#


Ynysddu C1820s
FOUNDER/LEADER: John Moggridge
Village on same lines as Blackwood.
GRID REF: ST182933
REF: Villages of Vision




http://www.utopia-britannica.org.uk/pages/moggeridge.htm

Utopia Britannica - British Utopian Experiments 1325 - 1945




'Interesting Settlement in Wales'


Gazetter entry




In 1827 an article entitled 'Interesting Settlement in Wales - an account of
the principles and progress of an experiment for improving the condition of
the labouring classes of society, in the hills of Monmouthshire,' appeared
in The Oriental Herald. The author was John Moggridge a Monmouth magistrate
and industrialist. In the article he described the scheme that he had set up
on his land in the Sirhowy Valley. Appalled by the living conditions of the
colliers in the valley, Moggridge had consulted with Robert Owen and devised
a variant of Owen's villages of co-operation. Moggridge's aim was to give
working people independence and self-respect.


///


Cottages in Hall St. Blackwood built as part of John Moggridge’s scheme

So successful was the scheme that a few miles down the valley the village of
Ynysddu was born in the same way with more than thirty houses being built
there. Over the hill from Blackwood at Trelyn a further fifty houses were
built and in 1829 the total population of the three villages totalled 2000.
The scheme obviously brought advantages to the ordinary people of the area,
but the greatest beneficiary was Moggridge himself. The total rents from his
estate increased significantly, as did its saleable value. A consequence of
the social experiment was that a core of the most talented and industrious
workmen became tied to the area providing the skills vital to the continued
expansion of coal mining in the valley. Folk who had built their own
cottages were most unlikely to leave them.

Moggridge's scheme is perhaps closer to the idea of the 'Villages of
Co-operation' than any of the other communities set up by Owen and his
followers, although it did not have the grand architecture of the other
schemes, nor the ardent radicalism of the community members. However it
proved to be more resilient than any other Owenite scheme and was to be the
foundation of the small town of Blackwood.

Nantyglo/ Industry and Revolution

Nantyglo Ironworks


'View of Nantyglo Ironworks', probably by Henry Gastineau, c. 1829
Watercolour

Source here: National Museum of Wales:

This dramatic watercolour shows a typical south Wales ironworks at dusk or night. Banks of blast furnaces can be seen on both sides of the Ebbw Fach river with early terraces of workers' housing close by. It was painted when south Wales was just beginning to dominate the international rail trade, and was published as an engraving in Gastineau's 'South Wales Illustrated' in 1830.

The ironworks at Nantyglo, which was famous for its bar iron production, features in Alexander Cordell's famous novel 'The Rape of the Fair Country', set shortly before and after the date of this watercolour.



















Nantyglo Roundhouses

Nantyglo Roundhouses

Source here:
blaenau-gwent.gov.uk


The Nantyglo Roundhouse complex is a unique relic of the Industrial Revolution. It was built in about 1816 by Joseph and Crawshay Bailey, the Ironmasters of the Nantyglo Ironworks, as a defended refuge against armed revolt by their workforce.

In effect, it was the last private castle built in Britain.

No other site in Wales gives so stark a reminder of the bitter conflict between Ironmasters and workforce. The towers symbolise the social upheaval which gave birth to the Chartist Insurrection and which would eventually create the modern labour movement.

Properly conserved and consolidated, the Roundhouse Complex has huge potential as a heritage centre telling the turbulent story of a key period in Welsh history. It would serve as an invaluable educational resource for local people and an attraction for visitors from further afield.

+ Further

More photos and information on the Nantyglo Round Towers here

Newport/ John Frost

John Frost, Chartist, Newport

[1] John Frost's Birthplace, Royal Oak, Newport
[2] John Frost's Will
[3] John Frost's Grave,Horfield, Bristol
[3.1] Star of Gwent (1877):John Frost subscription appeal; obituary notice
[4] The Chartist Caves, Llangynidr Mountain (Trefil Las)
[5] The Chartist rally on Kennington Common in April 1848

~~~~~

[1] John Frost's Birthplace, Royal Oak, Newport
















The Royal Oak, Newport: birthplace of John Frost, Chartist

John Frost: The most famous of all those transported to Australia, Frost had been mayor of Newport and was a serving magistrate when he became involved in the Chartist movement. After chairing the first Chartist Convention, during which time he was sacked by the Home Secretary as a justice of the peace, Frost returned to Wales where he became involved in the conspiracy that was to lead to the Newport Rebellion.. Many historians doubt that Frost was the true leader of this violent rising, not least because he had always advocated the use of moral force; nevertheless, he stood by his comrades once the decision to proceed was made, and was prominent in the event. Frost was born at Newport on 25 May 1789, the son of John and Sarah Frost, who kept the Royal Oak tavern in Mill Street. He became a prosperous woollen draper, and married Mary Geach, a widow, with whom he had five daughters and two sons. His early politics were those of a Cobdenite Radical

Source here:
Transported to Australia
CHARTIST ANCESTORS




[2] John Frost's Will



John Frost's Will

John Frost of Stapleton, Glos late of Newport, Mon 1874.

Anne Frost - sole executrix - John H Clarke - Commissioner

This is the last will and testament of me John Frost of Stapleton in the County of Gloucester. I give the whole of my real and personal estate and effects of whatever nature and kind soever to my daughter Ann Frost in trust for the following purposes. The property which I am now possesses of consists of a lease of the house in High Street Newport occupied by Mrs Tadd. The Royal Oak which was formerly a freehold estate but is now sold to the tenant Mr Watkin Jones on the following conditions for the sum of fifteen hundred pounds: Three hundred pounds to be paid on hand which sum I have received: Twelve hundred pounds to remain on the premises for which I have a mortgage on the premises, interest to be paid on the sum at the rate of 4½ per cent, now the debt to be reduced by the payment by Mr Jones to me of one hundred a year, the interest to be diminished as the payments are made, but Mr Jones has not fulfilled this part of the contract, I have received from him the sum of £50 only. This property to be divided between my daughter Catherine Frost now in Tasmania, Ellen Davies my daughter and Anne Frost my daughter now living with me at Stapleton in equal parts. I direct that my books be sold and the proceeds divided between my daughters Catherine, Ellen and Anne in equal portions, the household furniture I give to my daughter Anne for her sole and separate use without any reservations. I again say this is my last will and testament and I appoint my daughter Anne as my executrix solely. I desire that my funeral be a public one and that I be buried by the side of my wife and son in Horfield Churchyard. I give to my grand daughter Fanny my ring which formerly belonged to her mother, my daughter Anne knows what my intentions are respecting my friend Mr Charles Groves.

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said testator John Frost who in his presence and at his request have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto this 12th day of April 1874. John Frost

Witnesses James Street; William Thomas;

Proved at Bristol the ninth day of January 1878 by the oath of Anne Frost, spinster, (daughter of the deceased) the sole executrix to whom administration was granted.

The testator John Frost was late of Stapleton in the County of Glouster, Gentleman and died the twenty seventh day of July at Stapleton aforesaid.

Under £1500

Robert Graham, Solicitor, Newport, Mon.

Certified to be an examined copy

Source here:
Newport Past



[3] John Frost's Grave,Horfield, Bristol

"The outward mark of respect paid to men merely because they are rich and powerful... hath no communication with the heart"




















John Frost's grave, Horfield, Bristol.
Source here

+ See also:
Newport past-
photo of Frost grave [ source of above?]
http://www.newportpast.com/nfs/strands/frost/grave.jpg
photo of churchyard
http://www.newportpast.com/nfs/strands/frost/church.jpg

From Newport Past website:
John Frost's Final Resting Place


Richard Frame tells how he 'tracked down' John Frost's final resting place and obtained a grant from Newport Council for a new headstone:

"For a long time I searched for the grave of John Frost. I couldn't believe that no one in Newport knew where this famous son had been laid to rest. I finally got the information from a copy of his will in Newport reference library (see a transcription). Here it said he wanted to be buried with his son and wife at Horfield Parish Church in Bristol.
After searching the graveyard for hours I found no sign of a stone. As I was leaving, the vicar approached me with a book which he told me was a plan of the site made in 1939 by the sexton showing each memorial. Here I found the name Henry Hunt Frost, John's son. I went to the spot and found a stone disappearing into the ground with the word Henry on it. In the ground we found the other bits indicating it was indeed the Frost grave.
I approached Newport Council who gave me a small grant for a headstone and Les (Tombstone) Thomas carried out the task and created a beautiful stone. Neil Kinnock unveiled the stone and it was recorded by the BBC who interviewed me."


Source:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~monfamilies/Frost%20John%20of%20Newport.htm
John Frost of Stapleton, Glos late of Newport, Mon 1874.

Anne Frost – sole executrix – John H Clarke – Commissioner

This is the last will and testament of me John Frost of Stapleton in the County of Gloucester. I give the whole of my real and personal estate and effects of whatever nature and kind soever to my daughter Ann Frost in trust for the following purposes. The property which I am now possesses of consists of a lease of the house in High Street Newport occupied by Mrs Tadd. The Royal Oak which was formerly a freehold estate but is now sold to the tenant Mr Watkin Jones on the following conditions for the sum of fifteen hundred pounds: Three hundred pounds to be paid on hand which sum I have received: Twelve hundred pounds to remain on the premises for which I have a mortgage on the premises, interest to be paid on the sum at the rate of 4½ per cent, now the debt to be reduced by the payment by Mr Jones to me of one hundred a year, the interest to be diminished as the payments are made, but Mr Jones has not fulfilled this part of the contract, I have received from him the sum of £50 only. This property to be divided between my daughter Catherine Frost now in Tasmania, Ellen Davies my daughter and Anne Frost my daughter now living with me at Stapleton in equal parts. I direct that my books be sold and the proceeds divided between my daughters Catherine, Ellen and Anne in equal portions, the household furniture I give to my daughter Anne for her sole and separate use without any reservations. I again say this is my last will and testament and I appoint my daughter Anne as my executrix solely. I desire that my funeral be a public one and that I be buried by the side of my wife and son in Horfield Churchyard. I give to my grand daughter Fanny my ring which formerly belonged to her mother, my daughter Anne knows what my intentions are respecting my friend Mr Charles Groves.

Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said testator John Frost who in his presence and at his request have subscribed our names as witnesses thereto this 12th day of April 1874. John Frost

Witnesses James Street; William Thomas;

Proved at Bristol the ninth day of January 1878 by the oath of Anne Frost, spinster, (daughter of the deceased) the sole executrix to whom administration was granted.

The testator John Frost was late of Stapleton in the County of Glouster, Gentleman and died the twenty seventh day of July at Stapleton aforesaid.

Under £1500

Robert Graham, Solicitor, Newport, Mon.

Certified to be an examined copy

Transcribed from a photocopy by Dave Woolven, 2 Aspen Way, Malpas Park, Newport, South Wales. NP20 6LB Tel 01633 858 359 22 February 2001


[3.1] Star of Gwent (1877):John Frost subscription appeal; obituary notice

Star of Gwent
17th March, 1877
Frost the Chartist


Sir Edward Watkin is engaged in promoting a subscription on behalf of Mr. John Frost; the well known Welsh Chartist, who was sentenced to death in 1839 through his participation in the rising at Newport. Mr. Frost is 93 years of age and still lives in the neighbourhood of Bristol. It is somewhat singular that the jury, judge, and counsel engaged in his prosecution, thirty eight years ago, are all dead. His sentence was commuted to one of transportation for life, and he was sent to Van Diemen's Land. He lived through it all, and when the amnesty was granted to political prisoners at the close of the Crimean War, he was able to return to his native country.

Mr. Frost was a Justice of the Peace, had been Mayor, and was a successful tradesman in Newport at the time of the Chartist Rising. He very ardently, but not very wisely, espoused their cause and lost both property and liberty for what he conceived to be his patriotic duty.

He is in fair health now, but his memory at times somewhat wanders. He lives with his daughter who has attended his declining years with affectionate care and solicitude. Sir Edward Watkin hearing of his position, voluntarily sent his family £20 a few days ago, and he is now engaged in the benevolent work of trying to raise £200 or £300 to solace the old Chartist's exile in the days of proper forgetfulness.
Source here



Star of Gwent
29th July 1877
Death of John Frost


We understand that Mr. John Frost, the old Chartist, died at his daughter's home in Stapleton, Bristol on 27th inst. at the ripe old age of 93.

Mr. John Frost, prior to the lamentable outbreak in which he was the prime leader, commenced business in Newport as a tailor and draper in 1811, in a house belonging to his step-father, near the Royal Oak, Mill Street. Shortly after this he married a widow named Geach, who, with her two children, resided with her uncle, Mr. William Foster, a member of the old Corporation and Mayor of the Borough in the years 1804, 1812 and 1817. At Mr. Foster's demise Mrs. Frost and her children derived a handsome property. By Mr. Frost, she became the mother of two sons and five daughters. About the year 1822 Mr. Frost first displayed aspirations to rank as a public writer, and pamphleteering was a favourite mode of showing his hostility.

Mr. Frost was an early convert to the cause of the Chartists. His earnest advocacy and strong expression of language soon got him into trouble. His prosecution for libel and committal to prison tended to increase his popularity and brought him more into public favour. He was elected one of the Council of the Borough at the close of 1835 and was recommended to the King, by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for appointment as one of the Justices of the Peace for the Borough. He is said to have performed the duties with diligence, zeal, independence and impartiality. In 1837 he was elected to fill the civic chair, and during his year of office as Mayor, acted with becoming dignity. He subsequently became so extreme in his political views, and so violent in his language that the attention of the authorities was called to the matter, the result being that Mr. Frost's name was obliterated from the list of Justices of the Peace. From thereon his life is a matter of history, made poignant by the utter futility of the enterprise in which he participated.
Source here


[4] The Chartist Caves, Llangynidr Mountain (Trefil Las)














































The Chartist Caves, Llangynidr Mountain (Trefil Las)
SO 12771 15230 ( N51 49 46.9 W3 15 56.7
Source here and here
















Chartist Cave, Mynydd Llangynidr- source here
blaenau-gwent.gov.uk

The following excerpt covers Chartist organisation in the Monmouthshire Valleys, with reference to mass demonstrations, arms manufacture and the Chartist Cave::

Increasingly worried by the rise in Chartist numbers, the local ironmasters and clergy organised an anti-Chartist meeting at Coalbrookvale for April 29th. Crawshay Bailey was in the chair and George Brewer (owner of the Coalbrookvale Ironworks) and John Brown (Cwmcelyn and Blaina Ironworks) also attended. Bailey made an impassioned speech attacking the Chartists, finishing defiantly: "I owe all that I have to my own industry and I would risk my life rather than lose my property".

The answer came two days later when a huge rally gathered on the Star Field, Dukestown (now the Twyn Star Housing Estate) with almost 5,000 people in attendance. Bands played and banners fluttered, the chief speakers arrived in a four-wheeled chaise decorated with flags. Tension increased when Capel Hanbury Leigh, Crawshay Bailey and Thomas Powell all agreed to refuse employment at their works to known Chartists, and furthermore the Royal Oak at Coalbrookvale was declared out of bounds to all of Bailey's employees.

Then, on May 9th, Vincent, Edwards and others were arrested and taken to Newport. A riot broke out, and the men were subsequently imprisoned at Monmouth Gaol. On Whit Monday, May 20th, 30,000 people attended a huge rally at Blackwood and a petition was set up for Vincent's release. Another rally at Coalbrookvale on July 1st attracted a crowd of 10,000 and by July 12th, when a petition was presented to Parliament, over a million signatures had been gathered. The petition was rejected.

Chartists had always fallen into two camps - the "moral force" men (of whom Zephaniah Williams was one) and the "physical force" men - those prepared to take up arms to gain the Charter. With the failure of the petition the physical force faction gained the upper hand. On August 12th, the largest gathering of the whole of the 19th Century took place when the Chartists met at the Star Field, Dukestown, when over 40,000 attended.

By now, Chartists were beginning to arm themselves - pikes were being made at the smithy at the Victoria Works, Ebbw Vale, and at the Chartist Cave on Mynydd Llangynidr above Trefil (after the Rising, the authorities discovered a small hearth with bellows, iron and coal).

In Tredegar, John Rees (Jack the Fifer), David Jones (Dai the Tinker) and Isaac Tippings (the Tailor from Nantyglo) were very active around the lodges. The "Chartist Lights", lanterns and torches moving across the mountains, were seen and hardly a night went by without fiery speeches and illegal gatherings.

Typical wanted poster at this time

On August 26th, the Chartist Convention was reconvened and, on September 14th, the date was decided upon for a co-ordinated Uprising. Major Beniowski (a Polish emigré) was sent to Wales to co-ordinate preparations and although he may have been a type of mercenary we know little of him and his precise role is unclear.

September and October saw Blaenau Gwent as a hive of frantic activity. On October 3rd, some 500 people attended a meeting at the Royal Oak, Coalbrookvale, where John Frost urged restraint until the rest of Britain was ready to rise. At a secret meeting later that night, Frost asked Zephaniah Williams, William Jones and David Lewis (of the King Crispin) "Will you rise at my bidding, for it must be done?” Attempts were made to induce soldiers at Brecon and Newport to desert. Plans were made (and changed) but finally it was decided to march on Newport on the night of Sunday, November 3rd. Meanwhile, the production of arms intensified and more and more people joined the Chartist lodges. Evan Edwards, the Tredegar clockmaker and James Godwin, the mason from Brynmawr, were busy making bullets, while puddlers and colliers at Blaina ordered their muskets.

The plan was for the Chartist forces from all over Monmouthshire to meet at Risca before marching on Newport. On Saturday, November 2nd, at a meeting at the Royal Oak, Coalbrookvale, Zephaniah Williams and Thomas Guttery (of Blaina) made speeches and told the men gathered there to meet, armed, on the following evening. According to Benjamin James, a local collier, a few people entered backroom where Thomas Ferriday and others were seen handling guns. A similar gathering was in full swing at the King Crispin in Brynmawr, with Ishmael Evans in the chair, where David Lewis and his men were taking oaths of secrecy on a large Bible.

On the morning of Sunday, November 3rd, about 200 people gathered at the Royal Oak and were told to meet in the evening and to bring their weapons and food. Zephaniah Williams said to them that if the soldiers fired they were "to do their best". At 6 p.m., they set off for Mynydd Carn y Cefn where Zephaniah stood under an umbrella on a large mound by the roadside. A horn was sounded and guns tested.

By 8 o'clock, almost 4,000 men had gathered waiting for the men from Dukestown, Brynmawr, and Beaufort. Among the Nantyglo contingent was Abraham Thomas, one of William Davies's "platoon" of ten men. Despite his wife's desperate pleas, he had left home at about 7 o'clock. Wrapping her youngest child in a shawl, she ran after him through the torrential rain to the Royal Oak where Zephaniah's wife told her that he had already gone to the mountain. Less than fifteen hours later Abraham Thomas lay dead outside the Westgate Hotel.

At Rassau, David Howell, William David, John Jones, William Williams and 50 others were gathering their men, some by force. At 8 p.m. they stopped outside Carmel Chapel and required the congregation to follow them to Newport. At 11 p.m., they broke into the Beaufort Arms, at Beaufort Rise, demanding ale and killing the landlord's dog (the landlord was an anti-Chartist and had already fled).

In Tredegar and Sirhowy, the Red Lion at Colliers Row and the Colliers Arms in Park Row had been turned into pike factories. Jack Rees (the Fifer) accompanied by William Evans, Thomas Morgan and John Morgan led the Tredegar men down the Sirhowy valley to meet Frost at Blackwood. At Twyn y Star, hundreds had gathered led by Rees Meredith (one of those killed) and Dai the Tinker (David Jones) - in his velvet jacket and spotted neckerchief. At about 8 p.m. they met the men of Benjamin Richards' Star Inn lodge at Sirhowy Bridge before moving off to meet Zephaniah Williams and his men at Mynydd Carn y Cefn. Passing through Ebbw Vale they met up with 2,000 at the Pen y Cae ironworks, and about 20 of them pushed their way into the Lamb Inn demanding more beer. Later, another gang arrived dragging the landlord of the Wyvern Inn, Sirhowy along with them. At about 9 p.m., all the contingents met near the Harfords' residence and then moved off down the valley towards Newport. After much delay (caused mainly by the appalling weather and by calling off at pubs on the way!) the Heads of the Valleys contingent met up with Frost's forces at the Welsh Oak, Risca at about 6.30 a.m.

(...)

+ Source here
+ Note: the above text is based on this text here
blaenau-gwent.gov.uk
The Blaenau Gwent Chartists




Guide to the Chartist Cave
here


[5] The Chartist rally on Kennington Common in April 1848
















The Chartist rally on Kennington Common in April 1848 that marked the last high tide of Chartism as a mass movement.

Source:
CHARTIST ANCESTORS
http://chartists.net/



What did your family do in the revolution?

Millions signed the three great Chartist petitions of 1839 to 1848. Thousands were active in those years in the campaign to win the vote, secret ballots, and other democratic rights that we now take for granted.

Chartist Ancestors lists many of those who risked their freedom, and sometimes their lives, because of their participation in the Chartist cause. The names included on the site are drawn from newspapers, court records and books of the time, from later histories and other sources.

I would like to thank the many historians, researchers and the descendents of those associated with Chartism who have helped with this site since it was launched in 2003.

Mark Crail

Source here

See also vauxhallsociety.org.uk here for photo's and information on Kennington Park:

Kennington Park was formerly Kennington Common and consists of approximately 20 acres which is still part of the Duchy of Cornwall but is managed by Lambeth Borough Council. From the earliest recorded times the Common was widely used for fairs and gatherings of allsorts. Preachers including both Wesley and Whitefield held services on the Common to very large audiences sometimes as many as 50,000 gathered to hear their sermons. In 1848 the Chartists held a meeting there and though the Duke of Wellington called in hundreds of police the meeting ended quietly. The park lodge, known as the Prince Consort's Model Lodge was designed by Henry Roberts.

Camberwell New Road was built in 1818 splitting the Common in two. The southern part, where the Surrey Gallows used to be erected became the site of St Mark's Church built in 1822. Interestingly Parliament only passed the Act to use the common land in this way was not passed until 1824, six days before consecration. The rest of the park was enclosed in 1825 but seems to have been badly managed as in 1852 Thomas Miller said 'Kennington Common is but a name for a small grassless square, surrounded with houses and poisoned by the stench of vitriol works and by black open sluggish ditches.'
Following the formation of the park locals could no longer play games of cricket and formed the Oval Cricket Club which was leased to the Surrey Cricket Club for a nominal fee. In 1869 Doulton and Co donated a statue by George Tintworth - Pilgrimage of Life to the park.

See also interesting wikipedia discussion re Kenington Park, esp re enclosure following 1848 Chartist Demonstration here:

NOTES ON THE SOURCES OF INFORMATION ON KENNINGTON PARK

* Introduction: I was living right next to Kennington Park for eight years fbefore I started to realise it had an interesting history. Much of my information was gathered in an informal way rather through scholarly research (although I have now done a PhD) so exact or authoritative references are difficult to give on all points. However some notes may help those interested in the quality of information offered here, especially as this is an issue for Wikipedia.

Another point is that I aimed to give a sense of the history by inferring things from context. e.g. William Blake lived nearby and being the person he was must surely have visited the spouting hole that the common was. Tom Paine visited Blake and we can imagine that with their interest in democracy Blake would have taken Paine to the speakers corner. This is conjecture but it immediately gives a clearer sense of what was going on at the common (at least for those who know anything about Blake or Paine!)

Having said this much research needs to be done and I see this timeline a pointer for researchers rather than the last word summary of decades of scholarly work.

* The Chartists: The Chartist 'monster rally' of 10th April 1848 is what I'd call an incontravertible fact. The idea that the common was enclosed in response to that event was something that occured to me like a light going on in my head whilst immersed in this part of the research. It is my interpretation and seems very likely to be true rather than an incontravertible fact.

What is more certain is that historians have tended to represent the Chartists as a failure with 10th April 1848. Again I think that this is due to their vested interests rather than anything of a factual nature. See Dorothy Thompson's work for a more sympathetic approach.

According to her there is still no authoritative overview of Chartism. This is partly due to the fact that Chartism was a federation of small groups widely spread and partly the above mentioned bias against working class self activity.

The tired old case for Chartism as a failure can be found in "Failed Chartist Demonstration in London' History Today Vol 48 issue 4 pp 34/35 1998

* Cricket history. Details were taken from the web and have not been verified in archives. Note how the formation of the SCCC happened in time for cricket to be cleared from the common by the enclosure

~~~~~

vauxhallandkennington.org.uk
KENNINGTON PARK
The Birthplace of People's Democracy
Based mainly on a pamphlet by Stefan Szczelkun (1997)

A short one hundred and fifty years ago Kennington Common, later to
be renamed Kennington Park, was host to a historic gathering which
can now be seen as the birth of modern British democracy. In reaction
to this gathering, the great Chartist rally of 10th April 1848, the common
was forcibly enclosed and the Victorian Park was built to occupy the
site.
The significance of Kennington Park goes back to its origins as a
common. What is important about this site is not the physical aspects of
its layout but the traditions of its usage, a usage which arises from its
unique position in South London. It is here that the road from
Buckingham Palace to Dover crosses the older road from the City of
London to Portsmouth. It was the last common before the centres of
power to the north of the river, particularly Parliament. It was first
recorded as a common on Rocque's 1746 map of London, but it may
well have been crucial as a public meeting place long before that.

(...)

Source here (pdf doc)

Newport/ Maps


NEWPORT, MONMOUTHSHIRE

MAPS (ca. 1720-)


1720
1800
1835
1837
1911

1720

Emanuel Bowen, Britannia Depicta (p 37)
THE ROAD FROM CARDIFF THROUGH NEWPORT AND ON TO MONMOUTH
Emanuel Bowen 1720; adapted from Ogilby 1675






























































1800

William Coxe, "An Historical Tour In Monmouthshire" (1801)
PLAN OF THE TOWN AND LIBERTIES OF THE BOROUGH OF NEWPORT
Surveyed by Thomas Morrice, 1800

















1835

PLAN OF NEWPORT ON USK, 1835




















1837

Municipal Corporation Boundaries (England and Wales)(1837)
Newport (Monmouth)
PLAN OF NEWPORT ON USK, 1837


See notes below





















1911

Johns's Newport Directory (1911)
STREET PLAN OF NEWPORT (MON) AND MAINDEE
















1923

Johns's Newport Directory (1923)
STREET PLAN OF NEWPORT (MON)













=====
NOTES
=====

1837

Municipal Corporation Boundaries (England and Wales)(1837)
Newport (Monmouth)
PLAN OF NEWPORT ON USK, 1837


NEWPORT, (Monmouth.)

REPORT upon the PROPOSED DIVISION of the BOROUGH of NEWPORT into WARDs.

ANCIENT LIMITS OF THE BOROUGH.
1. THE Limits of the old Municipal Borough embrace the far greater proportion of the Town of Newport as at present constituted, but the Buildings are extending in several directions beyond these limits, particularly towards the South, the East and the West. The Parliamentary Boundary, however, which by the Act is taken to be the future extent of the Municipal limits, includes all these buildings, and allows for the probable rapid and very considerable increase of the Town.

The New Borough is situated partly in the Parish of Saint Woollos and partly in that of Christ Church, and extends about two mites from North to South, and about one mile from East to West.

The ancient Municipal limits comprehend but a small part of the Parish of Saint Woollos.

SAINT WOOLLOS PARISH.
2. Saint Woollos is an extensive agricultural district, except that portion within the Parliamentary Boundary, which from its proximity to the Town, and the probable future occupation of it by buildings growing out of or connected with the Town, may be considered as forming the suburbs of Newport.

The Rates for the Old Borough and the extra-burgal portion of the Parish of Saint Woollos are raised separately.

CHRIST CHURCH PARISH.
The portion of the Parish of Christ Church included within the Parliamentary Boundary, consists of a slip of land running nearly parallel with the River. The Parish itself embraces an extensive agricultural district, but the above portion may be considered as connected in interest with the Town, and partaking of the character of the extra-burgal part of Saint Woollos within the same Boundary.

THE TOWN.
The Town of Newport is situated on the Western bank of the River Usk. It is difficult to define its precise limits, as it is spreading in every direction on the Western side of the River, particularly towards the South, where it wilt probably soon be united with the little Village of Pillgwenlly, lying on the North bank of a reach of the River. The upper or North part of the Town contains the most respectable Inhabitants and Shops, and is also the oldest part of the Town. The population towards the South consists of a greater admixture of classes, and of the newest buildings; it is in this part also that building speculations more generally prevail.

LIGHTING, WATCHING AND PAVING.
By the Act of the 7 Geo. 4, c. 6, Commissioners are empowered to raise a sum not exceeding 1s. 3d. in the pound, on the rack-rent for the purposes of lighting, watching, paving, &c. It appears, however, from the information furnished by the Clerk of the Commissioners, that only 1s. in the pound is raised for these purposes on the above valuation.

The amount of Population, Poor's Rates, &c., will be found in the annexed Table.

STATE OF TRADE.
3. Newport is extensively engaged in the Iron and Tin Trade, and in the export of Coals. "It is connected with Pont-y-Pool and Crumlin, by Canals. Iron and Coal are brought from the former, Coal only from the latter. The tram-roads connect Newport with the Romney, Tredegar, Sirhowy, Ebbwvale, and Beaufort Iron Works." (Parliamentary Boundary Report.) Newport may be considered as a very thriving place; new Docks and Wharfs are building or in contemplation, and the Town is rapidly increasing.

OBSERVATIONS ON DIVISION INTO WARDS.
4. Two modes of dividing the Borough into Wards were suggested. The first and apparently the simplest division was that of forming the upper and lower parts into two Wards, by a line drawn through Llanarth-street, Charles-street and along Stow-hill, to the Boundary on the West, and by a straight Line due East from Llanarth-street to the Boundary on the East. But against this a strong objection existed, in the fact that the Upper Ward would contain the far greater proportion of respectable houses, shops and old inhabitants, and the smaller space for building ground.

The second suggestion has therefore been decided upon, which by dividing the old and new part of the Town and the building space, together with the frontage to the River between the two Wards, appears to establish as nearly as possible, a balance of wealth, respectability and condition. The Line proposed, moreover, is in accordance with that adopted by the Revising Barristers, whose remarks appear just, that the equality of wealth and condition at present obtained, cannot be expected to continue, owing to the rapid increase of the Town, and the thriving state of its trade and navigation; at the same time it would be difficult to suggest any Line that should meet these future contingencies.

DESCRIPTION OF THE WARDS.
5. The description of the Wards will, with a slight alteration, be the same as that contained in the Award of the Revising Barristers.

East Ward: - From the Point (opposite the Castle) at which the Boundary of the Borough leaves the River Usk, Southward, along the River Usk to the Bridge; thence along High Street to the Point at which the same meets Commercial Street; thence along Commercial Street to the Point at which the same meets the Commercial Road; thence along the Commercial Road to the Point at which the same meets Pottery Lane; thence, Eastward, along Pottery Lane and along a straight Line drawn in continuation of Pottery Lane to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the River Usk; thence, Southward, along the River Usk to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Borough; thence, Eastward, along the Boundary of the Borough to the Point first described.

West Ward: - From the Point (opposite the Castle) at which the Boundary of the Borough leaves the River Usk, Southward, along the River Usk to the Bridge; thence along High Street to the Point at which-the same meets Commercial Street; thence along Commercial Street to the Point at which the same meets the Commercial Road; thence along the Commercial Road to the Point at which the same meets Pottery Lane; thence, Eastward, along Pottery Lane and along a straight Line drawn in continuation of Pottery Lane to the Point at which such straight Line cuts the-River Usk; thence, Southward, along the River Usk to the Point at which the same meets the Boundary of the Borough; thence, Westward, along the Boundary of the Borough to the Point first described.

Newport, Railway Bridge over the River Usk


Mullock_RailwayUsk
Originally uploaded by locus_imagination.
James Flewitt Mullock, 1818-1892

NEWPORT, MON - View from Railway Bridge c. 1860

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

David Williams, Caerphilly/ Pantheon, Paris


"He drafted the First Constitution of the French Revolution..."









































































  • a flickr search for "french revolution constitution", located this photo:

Tribute to the French Revolution, Pantheon
www.flickr.com/photos/nyufrenchy2006/43524830/
Marianne, the official symbol of the French Republic, is in the middle, surrounded by those who made the first (of many) French Constitution.

  • a google search for Pantheon French Revolution, led to:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pantheon,_Paris

Panthéon, Paris
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Pantheon, Paris)

The Panthéon is a building in the Latin Quarter in Paris, France. It was originally built as a church dedicated to St. Genevieve, but after many vicissitudes now combines liturgical functions with its role as a famous burial place. It is an early example of Neoclassicism, with a façade modelled on the Pantheon in Rome, surmounted by a small dome that owes some of its character to Bramante's "Tempietto." Located in the Ve arrondissement on the top of Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, the Panthéon looks out over all of Paris.


  • A further search located this photo:















with discussion: here

Friday, January 20, 2006

River Usk- Landing Stage / Clarence Place























































Town's Bob Dylan link lures tourists














































Bob Dylan waits for the Severn ferry at Aust in 1966

Jan 19 2006, Paul Rowland, Western Mail

Town's Bob Dylan link lures tourists: "IT WAS as he stood waiting for a ferry to take him to Wales that Bob Dylan was captured in one of the most iconic rock photographs of all time."
~~~


The famous picture of Dylan was taken by Barry Feinstein after the singer's concert in Bristol in 1966, and was immortalised when it was used as the cover shot for Martin Scorsese's 2005 documentary No Direction Home.
~~~
Armand Watts, the town's mayor, said he hoped the ferry's restoration would help promote Wales across the world, not least to fans of the American singer.

"If you are an American tourist and a big Bob Dylan fan, it's likely you'll want to come here and experience what he did," he said.

"It's all about getting people into Wales and the local area to spend money."
~~~
He said, "The night before he went on the ferry, he played at the Colston Hall in Bristol and was booed off, and the night after he crossed on the ferry, he played at Sophia Gardens and was given a similar reaction.

"That was the period when he was making the change from acoustic to electric, which was obviously an important time to him, and that ferry crossing has obviously stuck in his mind.

Monday, January 02, 2006

Locus: River Usk Crossing

[ As the train jerked its way out of Newport Station and over the river, I followed my usual habit of seeking out the view of the river, city, and monumental Transporter Bridge, a shifting frame of view as the train cut its way through...

... the habitual view was upset by the sudden glimpse of this massive, arching construction in the distance, as the train carved its own curve of velocity through the fleeting cityscape, a baffling new addition to the landscape... - JW]



















steelconstruction.org
River Usk Crossing

Architect | Yee Associates
Structural Engineer | Faber Maunsell Ltd
Steelwork Contractor | Fairfield-Mabey Ltd
Main Contractor | Morgan-Vinci
Client | Newport City Council



The new Usk River Crossing is a landmark bowstring arch bridge forming the centrepiece of Newport's Southern Distributor Road (SDR).

The 9.5km SDR links M4 Junction 24 to Junction 28 and will provide relief to congested local roads and enhance cross river capacity. It is also intended to act as a key catalyst for local regeneration. Construction of the whole project has lasted two and a half years and at £55m it is the largest local Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme in Wales.

At concept stage a number of options were considered, with the arch finally being selected as most appropriate both symbolically and technically for its urban setting and historical context. A single clear span of 187m provided the best environmental solution, avoiding any permanent piers in the river. The arch form adds to the City's family of notable bridge types and ties in with the city's desire to develop a riverside walk linking the bridges. Newport's industrial heritage is reflected by the choice of steel for the bridge's construction; however, the design is distinctly modern.

Steel is the natural choice for a bridge of this span and type and is used for the primary elements of the superstructure - the arches, the hangers and all the deck beams. The bowstring arch is an efficient structural form that places minimum lateral loads on the foundations. Reinforced concrete is used to provide an economic deck slab, and this acts compositely with the steel beams.

The steel arch members are rectangular in cross section and are parabolic in elevation, tapering in depth towards their apex. They are inclined to convey a sense of enclosure and visual stability. The inclination gives the composition visual interest since the hangers will appear to crisscross when the bridge is viewed from an angle.

The bridge has been delivered by a unified team of designer, main contractor and steelwork contractor, with advice from the architect. This relationship has been a key to the success, and has enabled the design to be carefully tailored to suit not only the preferences of the steelwork contractor and erector, but also respond to the need for the contractor to maintain the bridge for the next 40 years.

Durability was therefore a key issue, which has been addressed in a number of ways. All steelwork above deck level was formed in box sections with no exposed ledges, to promote a clean design. The external surfaces of all the steelwork were treated with a high performance epoxy based paint system, with all box sections being fabricated from weathering steel and left unpainted internally. Weathering steel was utilised for the box members to avoid the significant safety issues associated with applying paint within a confined space, including eliminating the need for future maintenance painting. However, the small additional cost of the steel was more than offset by protective treatment savings.

The steelwork contractor created a fully detailed 3D computer model of the bridge, as input to his automated plate cutting and drilling machines. This model incorporated the significant computed deformations anticipated during erection.

The majority of the deck structure comprises a simple ladder-beam grillage formed from fabricated I sections, to make the most economical use of the steelwork contractor's automatic 'T & I' machine. For the arch, a careful examination of the economics demonstrated that the best solution lay in a rectangular section that was not stiffened longitudinally.

The river has dictated the approach used to erect the bridge. The size and weight of the structure was beyond the capacity of any available cranes to erect in one piece, and so a decision was taken to place two temporary piers in the river, at approximately third points of the span. The River Usk has the second largest tidal range in the world and work time in the river was significantly limited to suit ecological constraints to cater for migratory fish including salmon and the rare chad.

The erection of the superstructure followed a carefully developed sequence. The steel deck structure was assembled in two halves on either side of the river, utilising the pilecaps for the approaches as foundations for the temporary towers. Each half was then launched out over the river, crossing the temporary piers to meet in the middle. Temporary towers were erected on top of the temporary river piers, and a 1200 tonne capacity mobile crane lifted the outer arch sections such that they landed at the abutment and out onto the tower tops.

The central section of the arch was too heavy to lift directly into position, and so it was moved on skates to the centre of the bridge in sections and then welded together to form a single 680 tonne piece which was then raised to its final position using strand jacks. Once all welding was complete, the arch was lowered off the temporary towers to become free standing ready for installation of the hangers.

The initial stressing of the hangers lifted the deck off the temporary piers and was followed by the placing of the precast concrete deck panels. Using precast deck panels enabled most of the weight to be added such that the movements and deformations in the steelwork could take place in a controlled manner. In particular, the tie girder was expected to stretch by about 125mm, which if constrained by a partially constructed insitu concrete deck could produce uncertainty in load paths and cracking of the concrete. Final adjustment of the hangers was carried out before the stitches were concreted.

In conclusion, Newport has gained not only another much needed river crossing, but has gained an elegant steel structure in the process.

Judges' Comments:
The Usk crossing symbolises the best in British bridge engineering. It combines an elegant design, high quality fabrication and innovative construction. The box girder arches, with inclined parabolic form, are fabricated in weathering steel, externally painted and provide long-term maintenance benefits. Its elegance belies the 200 metres span.

Source here

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

+ Further

With the new river Usk crossing the construction team have created a landmark structure designed and built in an extremely compressed timescale- Once the DBFO contract was signed, “everyone was champing at the bit to get started”, says Faber Maunsell Technical Director Charles Cocksedge. There was no time for the traditional approach in which the engineer produces a completed design and passes it to the steelwork contractor: “We worked back from the completion date and found that Fairfi eld-Mabey would need to begin ordering steel less than two months from the start,” says Mr Cocksedge. “So we began by asking what can be designed first?”

steelconstruction.org
20 NSC July/August 2005
Structural Design Awards
River Usk Crossing

Newport’s 187m span bowstring arch bestrides the river as the
centrepiece of the £55M, 9.5km Usk Southern Distributor Road.
The outline design and the decision to go for a bowstring arch, in
which the road deck acts as a tie resisting the horizontal forces at
the arch springings, was by architect Ronald Yee of Yee Associates
for client Newport City Council.

“Newport already has a collection of notable bridges,” says Mr
Yee. This includes the 1906 Transporter Bridge and the 1964 George
Street Bridge, Britain’s fi rst large cable-stayed structure.
“We and the client were eager to create a family of bridges. We
looked at all the possible types and concluded that a bowstring
would be most appropriate, coupled with the fact that Newport did
not have a structure of this type already.”

The bowstring arch would create a landmark which would
become recognised as a symbol of Newport. Built of steel, it would
refl ect the area’s industrial heritage.

Main contractor Morgan-Vinci won the design, build, finance and
operate contract, with Faber Maunsell as designer. Fairfi eld-Mabey
was appointed steelwork contractor. These three worked extremely
closely together on the design.

Once the DBFO contract was signed, “everyone was champing
at the bit to get started”, says Faber Maunsell Technical Director
Charles Cocksedge. There was no time for the traditional approach
in which the engineer produces a completed design and passes it
to the steelwork contractor: “We worked back from the completion
date and found that Fairfi eld-Mabey would need to begin ordering
steel less than two months from the start,” says Mr Cocksedge. “So
we began by asking what can be designed first?”

Fairfi eld-Mabey chose to do the cross-girders of the ladder frame
deck: these span between the two tie girders, support the road and
are relatively self-contained as far as design is concerned.
These were followed by the tie girders and fi nally the arch itself.
The arch is formed from a fabricated box section, a good shape for
a compression member, a constant 2m wide and ranging from 2m
deep at the crown to 3m at the springing. The two tie beams are
2.5m deep I-sections, chosen because this is a more suitable section
for attaching the cross beams and is less expensive to produce, with
1200 x 60 mm fl anges and a 40mm thick web. The most complex
area to fabricate was the corner where the arch and tie beams meet
— at this point the tie girders widen out into a box section.

The design was critically affected by the construction sequence,
which also had to be considered. The arches were fabricated in 10m
lengths, and welded together on site with three sections each side.
The four end sections were lifted into place by the largest available
mobile crane in the UK, capable of lifting 1200t.

Even this did not have the capacity to lift the 75m centre section
of the arch into place. Instead this section was prefabricated, moved
along the deck on skates and then lifted into place using strand
jacks.

“The weight of the centre section was an important load case for
the design of the deck cross girders, which we were designing at a
stage when the weight of the arch was not precisely known,” says
Mr Cocksedge.

Construction of the deck was extremely rapid because Morgan-
Vinci prefabricated the deck sections in 3m x 5m concrete panels at
the site. The panels are supported on the fl anges of the tie girders
and cross girders, leaving room for insitu stitching strips to be cast
afterwards to tie the deck together.

From a design point of view this has the advantage that the tie
beams take all the tension, and are free to extend under the dead
load of the deck, by about125mm, both of which help to avoid the
risk of the concrete cracking.

With the deck stitched together, it acts compositely with both the
tie beams and cross girders to resist bending stresses due to traffi c.
Fairfi eld-Mabey Project Manager Julian Mason says: “This was
the largest box arch structure we’ve constructed for a while.”
Traditionally, he adds, at this sort of span a trussed arch rather than
a solid box used to be more common.

“The geometry was particularly complex because it’s a parabolic
arch which is also inclined,” he adds. Whereas in the past the
shape might have been approximated by fabricating it in a series
of straight lines, the Usk arch was modelled in 3D and cut using
automated machines to create a true parabola. As an additional
complication, dead-load precamber was added to cancel out the
calculated defl ection of the arch centre section under its own
weight.

The bridge opened at the end of last year after being completed
ahead of schedule. The judges’ verdict was: “The Usk crossing
symbolises the best in British bridge engineering. It combines an
elegant design, high quality fabrication and innovative construction.”

Source here (pdf)

corusconstruction.com
Structural steel design awards
37th structural steel design award winners
Thursday 23 June 2005


The 37th annual structural steel design awards have been presented to an unusually wide range of structures, from a private house in London to the huge tonnages involved in a steel works extension. Bridges featured strongly among the five Award winners, including a crossing of the River Usk and a small ‘rolling bridge’ on a residential development. Judges also gave commendations to three projects and a merit award to one.

(...)

The award winners were:


* The River Usk Crossing, Newport Southern Distributor Road
* The Wellcome Trust Gibbs Building
* Midland Mainline Rail Bridge
* Tower Environs Scheme
* Rolling Bridge, Paddington Basin


The River Usk Crossing, Newport Southern Distributor Road

Architect – Yee Associates
Structural Engineer – Faber Maunsell Ltd
Steelwork Contractor – Fairfield-Mabey Ltd
Main Contractor – Morgan Vinci
Client – Newport City Council

The Usk Crossing was said to symbolise “the best in British engineering”, combining elegant design, high quality fabrication and innovative construction.

Source here


corusconstruction.com
















Corus has long been committed to supporting the continuous improvement of the construction industry. We manufacture and deliver a large range of high quality steel products from structural sections and plates through to cladding and light steel framing. Our long tradition of product development, technical support and educational programmes have helped the construction industry to make the most effective use of our steel products and has resulted in the UK being regarded as the world leader in steel construction.

Fact File

Name
River Usk Crossing, Newport Southern Distributor Road

Architect
Yee Associates

Structural Engineer
Faber Maunsell Ltd

Steelwork Contractor
Fairfield-Mabey Ltd

Main Contractor
Morgan-Vinci

Client
Newport City Council

Newport’s 187m span bowstring arch bestrides the river as the centrepiece of the £55M, 9.5km Usk Southern Distributor Road. It joins other notable bridges in Newport which include the 1906 Transporter Bridge and the 1964 George Street Bridge which was Britain first cable stayed structure

The bridge won a Structural Steel Design Award in 2005. The judges’ verdict was: “The Usk crossing symbolises the best in British bridge engineering. It combines an elegant design, high quality fabrication and innovative construction.” This result can only be attributed to the commitment of the unified team of designer, main contractor and steelwork fabricator working with advice from the architect to deliver this bridge. Corus as a world-class supplier to the best customers supported this commitment.

Source here

[Note: having stumbled upon this report on the new Newport bridge, The River Usk Crossing - whilst doing an image search for River Usk, in the hope of finding Alfred Russel Wallace's drawing of the River Usk, adjacent to his house- it seemed appropriate to start a blog on the theme of place. After the usual trial and error to select a blog name, locusplace was accepted.- JW]