South Wales was once the powerhouse of the world. Even before the Industrial Revolution, there were industries. The explosion of activity mainly followed the discovery of the black gold beneath our feet, Coal, and other raw ingredients for iron and steel production, tinplate works etc. This resulted in Merthyr becoming the largest town in Wales, and Barry becoming the world's largest exporter of coal, even surpassing Newport and Cardiff.

The coordinator is Chris Callaghan. Many of you who have been on his walks or strolls will know they invariably feature former railways, canals, collieries and other industrial sites. That will probably continue but this new group will concentrate more on visits to dedicated sites, without a trek to get there. I will also be adding details from time to time, of events run by other organisations, particularly Oxford House Industrial History Society, based in Risca Museum.

You will not need to 'join' the group, but just turn up to any event if you are interested, Details of events will be sent out to all members, as well as posting on this page, and on our Facebook page, Caerphilly u3a.

If you have any questions about this group, you can contact Chris on this link Chris