A number of town centre roads will be closed during the daytime this Thursday (18 August) for the Pontmorlais Townscape ‘Heritage Victorian Day’.
Between 6am and 4:30pm, there will be closures to:
- Pontmorlais High street – traffic will be diverted right at Lloyds Bank onto Church Street
- Tramroad Side North
- Castle Street
Arranged by the Council in partnership with the Big Heart of Merthyr Tydfil BID, the event, running from 11am-3pm, has been designed to give visitors a glimpse into what the town centre might have looked like nearly 200 years ago.
Traders and staff will be dressed in traditional Victorian costume, with a town crier, former Cyfarthfa Ironworks owner William Crawshay, and activities including horse and carriage, a Punch and Judy show, and swing boats — one of the earliest fairground rides in Victorian Britain.
The Big Heart of Merthyr Tydfil BID is also running a range of 18th century fairground games on Graham Street, from a coconut shy stall to hook-a-duck and hoopla.
Other family-friendly activities include traditional storytelling and Victorian arts-and-crafts sessions at Theatre Soar — all completely free of charge.
And Merthyr Artisan Market will be on the High Street, selling local and handmade produce.
The Heritage Victorian Day is part of the Pontmorlais Townscape Heritage Initiative and funded via private sector investments, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council, Cadw and the Welsh Government’s Transforming Towns programme.
