Drawing by Falcon Hildred
Dowlais stables, 1987
Felt pen, watercolour and pencil on paper.
The drawing exudes outrage at the neglect and destruction of Merthyr's industrial heritage, and is an example of the quick sketches the artist makes when travelling. The long, low building with the raised gatehouse is Dowlais Ironworks stables, which were built for Sir Josiah John Guest in 1820. They fell out of us in the 1930s and became derelict. In the late 1970s unauthorised demolition was started. It was halted but the buildings remained roofless for several years. They have since been rebuilt as flats. Sanding amid the largely cleared site of the ironworks in the foreground is the 1909 blowing engine house, now part of a chocolate factory. These are the only surviving structures of what was once the world's largest ironworks.
Ref. FHA 02_76