Garth's Bridge

Before the 19th century, Garth like much of the Llynfi Valley was a rural area with sparsely populated farmhouses and labouring settlements. With the opening of two ironworks at Maesteg at the start of the century, the gradual industrialization saw the construction of villages in the area, including Garth. Garth built up as a series of terrace houses to the east of the larger settlement of Maesteg, on the eastern bank of the River Llynfi, mainly to provide home for the labourers of the emerging coal industry at two local collieries Garth and Oakwood. In 1864 John Brogden & Sons leased the land at Garth and bought Garth Fach and Cwmdu Canol Farms. But by 1884 it again swapped hands, form…

Newman selects two structures of note within Garth, both religious buildings. St Mary the Virgin (1891) is described as a 'pretty little stone faced building' with stained glass windows in the grisaille style with lilies on the borders. The west window centres on the Name of Jesus. Libanus Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church was built in 1871. It is stone faced and classical in style. The interior has galleries on three sides and on the fourth, behind the pulpit, there is dramatic double-depth arch on marbled columns.