Save the Canyons

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About this work

This striking collage is a visual chronicle of residents’ fight to prevent Tirpentwys Woods, near Pontypool, from being turned into a quarry. Known locally as ‘the Canyons’, the area was an opencast coal mine from the 1870s to the 1960s. For the last 50 years, however it has been reclaimed by nature and is now a wooded cut through uplands with a lake at the bottom. It is a classic example of the ‘greening of the valleys’ that has accompanied de-industrialisation in many parts of south Wales.

The collage uses headlines to tell the story of the successful 15-year battle to save the Canyons. The chronology of that effort is represented as the eye moves down the piece. The headline that reads ‘Quarry plans will ruin our way of life;’ is from the South Wales Argus in 2006. The BBC News headline at the bottom left, ‘Quarrying appeal at Tirpentwys ‘canyons’ beauty spot rejected’ marks a final end to the saga (one would hope at least) in 2019. The headlines were saved and assembled by Hazel Clatworthy, who was actively involved in the campaign. The heart of the image, however, is the beautiful picture of the Canyons as they exist today by Hazel’s talented daughter Emily. The contrast between the conflict and threat encapsulated in the headlines and the serenity and allure of that central sketch is what gives the piece its power.

This page is part of the Blaenau Gwent REACH online exhibition.

Film and audio | Creative writing | Visual art

Digital stories | The history of Blaenau Gwent | About this project