Our area is renowned more
for its porclain than its dancing, the china pieces being
coveted, collectors items. The old pottery has long finished
producing its fine china and lay in ruin for decades but
during the last two years has been renovated and serves
as a museum to exhibit some of the rare pieces still in
existence.
Nantgarw
is a small village situated in the Taff valley, five miles
north of Cardiff and south of the world famous "Black
Klondike" of the Rhondda Valleys. The village has
been an industrial centre since the mid 19th century,
when workers from all over the country converged to mine
coal and smelt the iron.Workers whose language and culture
were Welsh.
It was
at that time that the young girl called Catherine Margaretta
Thomas visited the fairs and traditional festivals of
nearby Caerffili and Tongwynlais and watched the traditional
dancers. Later the
religious revival of 1904 repressed the vibrant customs,
but thanks to Margaretta and her seamstress-trained memory
for patterns, we have a series of unique dances known
as "The Nantgarw Collection".
