Welsh Journals

the 1860s, congregational singing there underwent a transformation 137 1. The year 1868 saw a further development of this innovation. Inspired by the enthusiasm of M.O. Jones, the versatile precentor of Carmel, Treherbert, and the resolution of Idris Williams, Brynglas, a lay-preacher and deacon at Cymer, a committee was formed to hold a Gymanfa Ganu for the Rhondda Valley. Consequently, later that same year, the first Gymanfa Ganu was held at Pontypridd, and the following year another was held at Cymer Chapel. Subsequent festivals held in the Chapel and conducted by the foremost choral conductors of the time added much to the social appeal of the Chapel during these years[38]. The second preoccupation of the diaconate was the chapel building itself. Despite the fact that until the 1880s population was growing only slowly, the deacons, under the chairmanship of John Williams (Penrhos), manager of the Cymer Collieries and a chapel member since 1829, considered the question of rebuilding on a much larger scale, and on a more prominent site, almost opposite the original 'ty cwrdd'. The decision having been taken, the Rev. Thomas Thomas of Landore (Thomas Glandwr as he was known) was employed as architect, and the chapel he designed, with seating for 700, was described shortly afterwards by the historians of Welsh Independency as "un o'r addoldai prydferthaf yn y sir" (one of the most handsome places of worship in the county). It was certainly the largest building in Cymer and remained thus until the building of the Library and Institute in 1885. What was scarcely suspected at the time was the fact that it demonstrated thus early that tendency towards 'over-building' and over-capacity which was to become such an unfortunate feature of the Chapel's future development and of Welsh nonconformity in general. However, this was not apparent immediately because the expansion of old collieries and the opening of new ones in order to exploit the abundant seams of high-grade steam coal from 1877 onwards had as its consequence a sudden and dramatic rise in population. Cymer, Glynfach and Porth expanded enormously in the last quarter of the century. By 1901 the population of Porth and Cymer was 11,138, and a comparison of the Ordnance Survey map of 1900 with that of 1875 shows to what an extent Porth and Trebanog had become one continuous urban settlement with many