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Aberdare Boys' Grammar School Maps of the Cynon Valley and Aberdare showing the location of the school.
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Aberdare Boys' Grammar School Maps of the Cynon Valley and Aberdare showing the location of the school.
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1888 the Aberdare park area before the school was built Boys who attended the school came from a wide area (or length?) of the Cynon Valley and the next three maps show developments in the valley since the second world war. There are marked differences in the built-up area in the 1947 and the 1956 maps. At the top end the Bryn residential estate in Rhigos, and the Trading Estate near Hirwaun, were built. Further down the valley the residential estates in Penywaun and Cwmbach also appear. By 2003, of course, the notable changes are the loss of the collieries and the railway lines, and the new roads through the valley. 1955 Aberdare Road Safety Map new There was another Grammar School in Mountain Ash which was co-educational, and it's not clear to me why some pupils were selected for this school and others for the Aberdare schools. For example my older sister was sent from Rhigos Primary School to Mountain Ash Grammar School while I was sent to the Aberdare Boys Grammar School. Secondary school children from Rhigos were collected by a special school bus (Western Welsh) at about 9.25 for the journey to school. As we travelled such a long way (about 5 miles) we were also provided with free season tickets for the journey. I think that boys who lived within 2 miles (?) of the school were expected to walk. We would still use these season tickets if we travelled home late after detention, and were often told off by the conductor for not using the school bus provided, adding insult to injury! The next map shows the area of the school about 1973 after the school itself had moved to the Cwmdare Hill site, though the building was still standing and in use as offices. This is a large scale map which show lots of interesting detail in the streets around, and in the park. 1973 the Aberdare Park and school area large-scale map Finally here's a link to the Google Maps page showing a high resolution satellite image of the area around the school. The images were made recently as the picture shows that the school has been demolished and only the School House and the clock tower are left. Satellite image of the school area
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