A PARISH church is celebrating its 150th anniversary and wants people in the community to share stories and photos of the church from down the years.
The Grade II-Listed building that houses Pontywaun's Trinity Congregational Church opened in 1870.
To celebrate the anniversary, the church is planning an open morning, but needs the help of its congregation, young and old, veteran and newcomer.
“We would like to hold an open morning and display photos, memories and the history of the church and Pontywaun but to do this, we need your help," said churchgoer Joanne French.
“Were you married in Trinity? Do you have any photos we could display? Did you take part in a Sunday School anniversary or a Whitsun parade? Did you go on a Sunday School trip?
"Do you have any photos of these events and others that we could use? Would you be willing to share your memories?
“Do you have any information on the local history of Pontywaun or any other areas of local interest?
“Help us celebrate this very special anniversary.”
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The church was built for English speaking workers coming to the area after the 1862 formation of the Society for Promoting the Establishment and Support of the English Congregational Churches in South Wales and Monmouthshire.
A large donation to fund the building came from the Bristol MP Samuel Morley and consultant architects Habershon and Pite. Building began in 1869 and it opened just six months later.
The church graveyard is home to a memorial to the Hunt family who died in the 1875 Cwmcarn Flannel Factory disaster, and some of the 119 men and boys who died in the 1878 Prince of Wales Colliery explosion. The earliest tombstone found in the graveyard is from around 1872.
In 1911, a Sunday School was built attached to the site and an organ loft was built that linked the schoolroom and the church hall.
During 1916-26, the Reverend Samuel oversaw a congregation of 250 and a Sunday School of more than 550.
Electricity was installed in the church in 1927, and the schoolroom was used as a place to distribute goods to the unemployed during the Depression of the 1930s.
The church became a Grade II-Listed building in 1998.
If you have any photos, memories or information you would like to share, please contact Ms French on 07788694117.
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