Welcome

This is my blog on the history of Pentre, the village in the Rhondda Valleys where I have lived for over 15 years but whose history I have only just started to uncover. I felt compelled to document this for the future.

The two principal things that interest me about the history of the Rhondda are its old photographs and the chapel movement. As a Christian I find it good to look at the past even though the days of the packed out chapel seem just as resigned to history as the collieries. Nonetheless, even today many remain open to faithfully preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and this is often thanks to the legacy established in this period.

What appeals to me about the photographs is the prestigue that used to exist, that contrasts so sharply with today’s Pentre. You also get in insight into a culture that is so different from today’s. Particularly the photos of people seem to convey a sense of innocence, friendliness, happiness and hopes for the future which just dont seem to exist in the same way today. Images of the men and women of that time show that life was hard, but also display humanity laid bare, without the pretentions of modern life they seem…content.