Cordell Museum
© Torfaen CBC
If you want to really understand how Alexander Cordell worked, then a visit to the Cordell Museum in Blaenavon is a MUST! Here you can see Cordell's desk and typewriter, as well as many other items that used to surround him in his office, and also examples of the manuscripts that he created.
© Blaenau Gwent CBC
Facilities and grading
This isolated site, set on the bleak mountainside to the west of Tredegar this is one of the most evocative in the south Wales valleys. With its few remaining gravestones set against the lowering skies, the site serves as unique introduction to one of the most painful chapters in the history of Blaenau Gwent. Here rest the mortal remains of at least two hundred people, victims of the "King of Terrors" – cholera. There were two major cholera epidemics in Tredegar, the first in 1832-33 and another seventeen years later in 1849. A lesser outbreak also struck the town in 1866.
Today the site has little more than twenty-six standing gravestones, surrounded by the broken fragments of many others. Many have had their inscriptions erased by the harsh weather conditions.
However, the remaining stones and their inscriptions provide a wealth of information about the early industrial history of the area and some of its social experiences. The dates on the stones show that the isolated cemetery was first used to bury the victims of the cholera outbreak of 1832-33, followed by those of 1849 and 1866.
Additional information
Free
Accessibility information
Access is across moorland.
Stay in Cordell Country
© Blaenau Gwent CBC
There is so much to do in Cordell Country that a day trip can easily turn into a long weekend - and to help you have a relaxing as well as an inspiring break, there are a range of accommodation providers to suit all needs. Take a look at the places to stay option as you explore the routes, or else look at the places to stay section.