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Upper Swansea Valley
Gough Buildings

  This section was put together with the assistance of Mr David Roberts who kindly recorded his research and memories for these pages. 

 

The coming of the canal to the upper Swansea Valley in the last years of the 18th century was in many ways the catalyst for the industrial development that was to follow in the area. Up until this time the parish of Ystradgynlais had consisted largely of valley farms and mountain pasture upon which the local population eked a living. The Ynyscedwyn forge, upon which so much later development was centred, was of a modest scale. The coming of the canal allowed for the flow of materials and product and put this relatively remote area in contact with distant markets. The line of the canal as it was constructed created what was almost an island of fairly level ground between it and the River Tawe.
From the
First Edition
Ordnance Survey
one inch map
c1836
old 1" map 
  This land belonged to the Gough family of the Ynyscedwyn Estate who built a series of streets of workmen's cottages on it for workers at the Ynyscedwyn Ironworks and their families. On early maps and the Tithe map of around 1840 all these houses are listed simply as "Gough's Buildings" and although the name is still associated with the streets in this part of Old Ystradgynlais most have had at least one change of name over the years.

 

There are 9 pages on the Gough Buildings. Use the buttons below to view the other pages.