Maesteg: Drinking fountain

I’ve only been to Maesteg, a town at the northern end of the Llynfi Valley in south Wales, a couple of times, and then only to look for dragonflies at some local ponds. However, when I was there earlier this week, I had a little time to kill before catching my train home, so enjoyed a short walk around the town centre. 

Maesteg is this year celebrating its 200th anniversary, and has some impressive historic buildings; I really must take the time to explore further. 

On this occasion though, what immediately caught my eye was this monument in the town ‘square’ (it’s actually more of a triangle), situated at the intersection of three streets and located immediately in front of the former Town Hall. 

This was once a functioning drinking fountain, and has been designated by CADW, the Welsh government’s historic environment service, as a Grade II-listed monument, labelled the William Hopkin Thomas memorial lamp and fountain. From the CADW website listing, the exterior is described as follows:

Pink polished granite with grey granite. A die raised on two stepped plinths, having water basins on 2 sides and the back and front inscribed recording the erection to William Hopkin Thomas, doctor, local benefactor and chair of the local eisteddfodau, one side in English, the other in Welsh. The die has delicate etched decoration and is gabled, and carries a cylindrical terminal domed structure supporting a heavy cast iron cross which once carried three fine lamps. 

When I got home, a search of the Welsh Newspapers online website, revealed several newspaper articles describing the fountain’s presentation to the people of Maesteg. This is from the South Wales Daily News, published on 28 November 1900:

LATE DR. W.H. THOMAS. J.P.
PUBLIC MEMORIAL AT MAESTEG.
A drinking fountain in memory of the late Dr. W. H., Thomas, Bronygarn, was presented to the public of Maesteg on Tuesday. The structure cost over £200, and stands in the most central position in the town, near the Town Hall, North's Memorial Hall, and the railway stations. Flights of steps in Forest of Dean stone lead to a landing eight feet square, upon which stands the fountain proper, which is of solid granite (swede red). Surmounting the structure is a standard for three lamps. The whole work reflects the greatest credit upon Mr J. L. Jenkins, the contractor, and Mr W. H. Rees, architect. There are two drinking basins fitted with aluminium cups and chains. On the eastern side of the fountain is the following inscription:—"Erected by public subscription as a memorial of William Hopkin Thomas, J.P., M.D., M.R.C.S., Maesteg—a man valued by all for his professional skill, respected for his integrity and uprightness, beloved for his geniality and kindness of heart." On the opposite side is a similar inscription in Welsh.
At the ceremony of presenting the memorial to the public there was an exceedingly large gathering. The Rev. Stephen Jackson, vicar of Llangynwyd, the Rev. Iorwerth Jones, chairman of the Executive Committee, Mr Thomas Rees (Hen BIwyf), and Mr Rees Rees, D. C., spoke of the good work done by the late Dr. Thomas. The Vicar of Llangynwyd then, on behalf of the committee, presented the drinking fountain to the public. Mr D. Beynon, J. P., chairman of the District Council, formally accepted the gift, and the assembly sang “Hapus Dyrfa” to the tune St. Garnon, Mr S. Davies, G. and L., conducting. Mr Stephen Lewis acted as clerk of works gratuitously. 

Dr Thomas was obviously a much loved and well respected pillar of the Maesteg community so I looked also for an obituary. The following was published in the South Wales Daily News, on 14 April 1899, and included a sketch of the man himself:

DEATH OF DR. THOMAS, J.P., MAESTEG
Dr. W. H. Thomas, of Maesteg, died suddenly at noon on Thursday. He had been out visiting patients with his son from 8.30 in the morning, and returned to his residence, Bronygarn, about 11.15. He was preparing to go out again to the upper district when he complained of internal pains, indicating heart trouble, from which he had suffered. He yielded to his son's persuasion to take a little rest, and was about re-entering the house from the backyard when he was seized with faintness. He suddenly became unconscious and died almost immediately in his son's arms. Dr. Frost, the assistant, was sent for, but the deceased gentleman was beyond human aid. We understand this was the fourth attack of a similar character which he had experienced during the last five years. The deceased was a son of the late Mr Thomas Thomas, grocer, Maesteg, and was 58 years of age. He was a member of the Royal College of Surgeons of England and M.D. of St. Andrews University. After taking his degrees he spent two years in Ebbw Vale and then came to Maesteg, where he acquired a large practice, patients visiting him from the adjacent valleys and also from the Rhondda. He was a justice of the peace, and a member of the Maesteg Council, heading the poll at the last contested election for the East Ward. He never took an active part in politics, but it was supposed that his vote generally went on the Conservative side. He was genial and generous, of cheerful disposition, quick and active in manner, and indefatigable in his labours. He was a strong patron of the Eisteddfod, and encouraged music and Welsh literature. He was for some time medical officer for Llangynwyd Higher, under the Neath Board of Guardians, and was also medical officer under the old Maesteg Local Board. He was chief surgeon and medical attendant of the workmen employed at Garth Merthyr Colliery and at Oakwood Colliery. Twice was he presented with a public testimonial, because he rendered a fair share of his services gratuitously. On the last occasion he received an illuminated address, an oil painting of himself beautifully framed, and a purse containing £600. He commenced his practice in Maesteg about the year 1867, and did conspicuous service during the cholera epidemic which occurred about that time. He leaves a wife and seven children. One of his daughters was to have been married to Dr. Kirkby, of Glyn-corrwg, on Wednesday next. Much sympathy is felt for the bereaved family. The funeral arrangements are not yet known, but it is likely that the interment will be at the parish church-yard of Llangynwyd, where his parents are buried.

It seems a great shame to me that this drinking fountain is no longer in usable condition. 

You would think it would be possible to reconnect the water pipes, refurbish the connections within the monument, and remove the granite slabs that have been placed above the basins.

In these days of drought and heatwaves, a free source of water would certainly benefit the local community, and the William Hopkin Thomas memorial lamp and fountain could then continue to be a functioning and useful tribute to the good doctor in whose honour it was commissioned.

The mystery of the Nonpareil Market

This decorative stone plaque, bearing the inscription ‘The Nonpareil Market 1889’, now sits very incongruously atop an archway over a path into an estate of modern, rather ugly flats and houses in James Street, Cardiff Bay. Prior to its relocation, it was displayed at the top of an imposing stone building that stood very close by, on the corner of James and Louisa Streets, which, in 1889, contained the business premises of butcher Frederick Ward, and Solomon Andrews, an entrepreneur who operated a grocery store at this location but had his finger in a great many other pies. 

I am not the first person to have wondered about the origin of the Nonpareil Market name, nor the first to have spent time researching to try to find an answer, and I will probably not be the last. As part of an excellent series of blogs exploring the buildings shown in the superb artworks of Cardiff artist Mary Traynor, David Webb, a volunteer at Glamorgan Archives, produced the blog Nonpareil Market, James Street, Cardiff, published in January 2018. Despite his extensive research, Webb was unable to find an answer to the Nonpareil Market mystery, but his blog is certainly worth a read, and it includes an image of Traynor’s lovely watercolour of the building to which the plaque was once attached. You can also view a photograph of the bricked-up building, taken in 1985 prior to its demolition, on the Tiger Bay and the World Collection website. 

In 2014, in a guest post on the blog We Are Cardiff, contributor Jeremy Rees also wondered about the Nonpareil name, admitting that

All I can glean is that Nonpareil was the name of a sugar plantation in Guyana, South America – I know that many Guyanans settled in Tiger Bay and the Docks so that may be a clue, but as to where the stone came from and why it’s there, that’s still a mystery.

The mystery of where the stone came from was solved by David Webb but not the name. As I like a good challenge, I too have tried to discover the origin of the Nonpareil Market name. A search of the Welsh Newspapers that have been digitised and made available online on the National Library of Wales website revealed no information on the name Nonpareil Market. However, the word nonpareil appears in 3011 entries (reduced to 2637 if I selected the English language option), a total that rather surprised me. Even more surprising were the contexts in which the word was used:

• there were references to the collisions and wrecks of both a sailing ship and a steamship of that name;
• a fabric known as ‘Nonpareil’ velveteen was advertised as ‘the richest, softest and most becoming fabric ever produced’;
• the boxer who was middle-weight champion of America in 1889, ‘Dempsey, the Nonpareil’, who had been beaten in a prize fight and so was no longer the ‘unequalled’;
• a racehorse competing in the Zetland Plate at York, named, presumably, by an optimistic owner;
• an apple, grown on the North Aston Hall estate, which was for sale in 1909: ‘it was in the grounds that the “Nonpareil” apple was introduced into this country from Normandy in 1593 and called “North Aston apple”, or “Folk’s apple”.

It seems usage of the adjective nonpareil was much more common in the 19th and early 20th centuries than it is today, when we would be more likely to use adjectives like unequalled, unrivalled, or unsurpassed. And that, in turn, made me wonder whether the name Nonpareil Market was simply a boast by the entrepreneur Solomon Andrews that his ‘grocery store’ was, in fact, a market for goods and produce that was unequalled by any other in the Cardiff area. The truth is we shall probably never know, but I have passed an enjoyable stormy afternoon trying to find out.

Penarth ghost sign: Windsor Nursery

Back in 2021, during renovation work, an old shop sign was uncovered on the front of number 86 Windsor Road, Penarth. It read ‘Windsor Nursery’. 

I’ve tried, during the intervening years, to get good photographs of the sign and its building but that has always proved tricky. For much of that time, a large campervan has been parked on the street in front of the building, limiting the possibilities for front-on shots. Also, for a long time, the exterior of the building was covered in scaffolding, though little building work seemed to take place. More recently, the front of the site has become overgrown with foliage. 

Though the word ‘Windsor’ is an obvious nod to the street name, I wondered, initially, about the name ‘Nursery’ – a child-care business, or something horticultural perhaps. Then, I found a post about the building on Twitter; this dates from March 2021 and was posted on the LovesTheDiff account:

An old shopfront sign was recently uncovered at 86 Windsor Road, Penarth. Windsor Nursery was a kind of convenience store of its time. Graham Hicks saw it and dug out this old photo belonging to his aunt. It shows the shop as it was more than 100 years ago.

I no longer use Twitter, and, for copyright reasons, cannot include the photo here but have added a link to the account name for those of you who can access it. I did, however, manage to find a couple of advertisements for goods being sold by the shop, published in the Evening Express, on 22 November 1909 and 31 December 1910 respectively. A sow and her piglets, a ladder, hot water pipes and a garden roller – it’s an intriguing combination of offerings. 

In a reply to the Twitter post referenced above, someone had added another old photograph with the comment: ‘And this is 86 Windsor Rd in 1920s/30s after the Price family took it on. Ernest Price pictured (my great grandad). My mum grew up there.’ Once again, I cannot show you that image, for copyright reasons, but here I had a piece of luck. 

I bumped in to a friend who was walking his dog in a local park and who lives near 86 Windsor Road. Somehow our conversation turned to the building and, by sheer coincidence, he told me he had an old photograph from the time when E.W. Price was the shopkeeper, which he was happy to send to me. The image quality is not great but I am still extremely grateful to my friend for letting me use this photo. 

The old photograph also showed how much the building has been altered in the intervening century; I’ve included a side-by-side comparison to show those changes. The most noticeable difference is the removal of the wonderful oriel window and its replacement with a modern rectangular window, which leaves the building devoid of its former character. I hope the ghost sign can in some way be retained and protected, as a piece of local history, but I somehow doubt that will happen. The building was recently put up for auction, though it appears there were no bids for it, so only time will tell what the future holds for the former ‘Windsor Nursery’.