According to the Top
Gear television programme, the Black
Mountain road, the A4069, between
Brynaman and Gwynfe in the Brecon
Beacons National
Park is, ‘Five of
the most memorable miles you can drive in any country.’ In 2019 this road, with
its hairpin bends, dips, twists, climbs and amazing views of the surrounding
countryside, celebrates its 200th anniversary.
The road was the idea of
an enterprising father and son who shared the same name - John Jones Brynbrain.
When Men And Mountain Meet by Aldwyth
Rees Davies (Y Lolfa) brings together fragments of history about the road and
the men that built it.
“The story of Wales
as the first Industrial Nation has been told
many times – the slate industry of north Wales, the coalfields of the Rhondda and Copperopolis of Swansea. However,
not every early entrepreneur has become a well-known character. Many stories
and details have been lost in the mist of time,” says Aldwyth Rees Davies.
When Men and Mountain
Meet celebrates the Jones’ early achievements as the Black Mountain
road increased industrialisation that changed the
area forever.
“The father and son team risked their wealth and reputation
developing industry
in Brynaman and without their local knowledge, interest and entrepreneurial
drive, the history of the area and the road itself would have been very
different. Today you would call it infrastructure development – these two men
took great risks to turn an idea into reality,” says the author, who describes
writing the book as a ‘wonderful life changing experience.’
“I started writing the book whilst researching the area and
family history – I couldn’t find out anything about the construction of the
road. I was intrigued, and that led to detective work and visits to the
Archives in Swansea,
the National Library of Wales and the British Library. My greatest discovery
was in the British Library, where I found an early 19th century
drawing of the road, a photo of which is included in the book, by permission of
the British Library,” says Aldwyth, before adding “As William Blake wrote,
‘when men and mountain meet’ great things can be created – the story needs to
be remembered by future generations.”
The book is a celebration of the social history of the area
and also covers the history of the Turnpike Trusts and the Rebecca Riots, the
geology and archaeology of the mountain, Welsh
Education and Language, Nonconformity and the Revival, the coming of the
Railways and how the village changed its character and name.
