A pause, not an end?

St Mark’s Church, Cwm-coch

Canon John Gravell, previous incumbent, and Gill Evans, Warden, tell the history of the little church, near Llandybie, which recently closed its doors for the last time

Following the population growth when new coal mines were opened, the Rev. Rees Evans, Vicar of Llandybie (1861-1877), responded by establishing a schoolhouse at Caerbryn. In collaboration with the two Misses Prothero of Plas Cwm-coch, the Cwm-coch Mission Hall was opened. It was licensed by Bishop Basil Jones on December 17, 1875.

The leaders were devout laymen, steeped in the Scriptures. It was thanks to them that the cause flourished, and the schoolhouse at Cwm-coch attracted members from all denominations in the community.

One of the most notable laymen there, still remembered fondly, was John Roberts, Tireynon. The late Canon Winzey Richards told a wonderful story about his early days as a curate in Llandybie – before his first visit to Cwm-coch, the vicar told him ‘You won’t have to do or say anything, thanks to the skilled hands of John Tireynon’. And that’s exactly what happened, with the old patriarch referring in his prayer to the new curate as ‘the lad who has been sent among us’.

I heard about the harvest tea and the Christmas party from Miss Eleanor Williams, one of the former teachers at the Schoolhouse, who also helped her mother look after the place. Eleanor was a maid on a nearby farm, and came home at weekends to help her mother with the preparations and the cleaning duties at Cwm-coch.

But in 1966, work began on an opencast coal mine. A number of homes and farmhouses were sacrificed to the necessary excavations – including Ysgoldy Cwm-coch. A new site was secured near Caerbryn Welfare Hall, and the congregation was housed in two cabins in a nearby car park. However, this time there would be a church, rather than a schoolhouse! Bishop John Richards opened St Mark’s Church in Cwm-coch on May 30 1967. The site and building were donated by the Coal Board, but the members were responsible for furnishing the new building, and they responded generously, as was apparent from the first order of service leaflet.

There were two services every Sunday, and a Sunday School, with youth activities organised during the week. The building was designed with a contemporary vision, for both religious and secular use.

The warden during this new era was the beloved and likeable Mr Lynn Chapman. He served as a Sunday school teacher, and filled in when ministration was unavailable. He was a staunch supporter and confidante of every vicar.

Given the size of the congregation that gathered for the final service on Palm Sunday, we pray that this is a pause, not an end, to the Lord’s work in the communities of Blaenau and Caerbryn.