Visiting Merthyr/Cardiff can anyone recommend ...?completed

[newbie]

Hi,
We are very shortly (most probably April) going to be visiting Merthyr Tydfil, to see  Cemetery,  and Merthyr Library, and then I would like to visit the Glamorgan Record Office in Cardiff.
I need to find somewhere (nice) to stay, anybody have any recommendations?

Thanks,
Newbie

[NigelG]

Where do you anticipate spending the majority of your time - in Merthyr or at the records office in Cardiff??

[trellisick]

good point nigel, the church of the later day saints headquarters is in merthyr  but the records office for most of wales is in the records office
in cathays park cardiff, hope you find time to visit both,   kali.

[ozlady]

Newbie, if you are intending to visit the LDS centre in Merthyr, I suggest you phone ahead to see when they are open. On our last visit to Merthyr (2004) we tried several times, unsuccessfully, to find them open.

[newbie]

Thank you for the helpful replies, I hadn't even thought about visiting the LDS centre! 
I want to visit the cemetery office to look at the records, I've phoned them and that's okay, I think I will spend the day there, then I need to visit Merthyr Library to see what they have, I would like the 1841 electoral roll for Dowlais as the 1841 census is officially missing.
then I thought a visit to the Glamorgan Record office in Cardiff, again spending 1 day.  Or at least finding my way round the records there and then arranging a further visit at a later date.

Newbie

[NigelG]

Couple of things

1. I don't think you'll have much luck with electoral rolls for the 1840s for Dowlais - you may have more luck looking up the rental records for the area (which I believe have been indexed by the GFHS). Probably best to email the library and ask them what they have to avoid disappointment library.services@merthyr.gov.uk <library.services@merthyr.gov.uk>

The library has loads of info and data and you could easily spend a day or 2 there! I don't know what specifically you'll be looking for at the records centre in Cardiff but to date, I have managed to find all the info I need about my Glam relatives at the library in Merthyr.

2. The Cemeteries department is only about 2 minutes walk from the library. They are very helpful (as are the staff at the library). Some of the records are computerised but you may have to search through the actual registers themselves to find some of the info you are looking for. Best to have a list of potential names, dates and addresses (if you have them).

3. Should you need to get any certificates - the registrar is just across the road from the Cemeteries department (which is in the new Council building).

4. The Mormon centre is about 5 minutes drive away from the Town centre (if that!) and has plenty of parking. As advised by Ozlady, I would ring and book a visit as it gets very busy. Personally, I only use the Mormon Centre to order films for outside the Glam area as the library probably holds more info about Glam.

Official opening times are

M-W 2pm-5pm; T 10am-1pm; F 2.3pm-5pm; T, Th, F 6.30pm-9pm; W 7pm-9pm

They are based at the Church of Latter Day Saints, Nantygwenith Street, Mid Glamorgan, Merthyr, WALES - Tel: 01685-722455

Personally, I would recommend a stay over in Merthyr to investigate the library and the Cemeteries department before deciding if you need to go to the record centre in Cardiff.

If you do decide to go both locations in the same trip, Merthyr is about 24 miles from Cardiff - up the A470 which can be very busy particularly between 8am-10am & 3:30pm and 7pm - so if driving between Merthyr & Cardiff I would take this into consideration as it could "eat into" the amount of time you can spend at each place.

By far the easiest place to stay in Merthyr is

http://www.castlehotelwales.com/home.html

It's opposite the Council Building (where the Cemeteries department is situated) - the Registrars office is in the same buidling just around the corner from the hotel main entrance and the library is about a minutes walk away!

If there's no room there - I'd recommend

http://www.tregennahotel.co.uk/

Still within walking distance but situated at the "other end" of town.

Hope this is of help 

[newbie]

Nigel,
That is just such good information, Wendi has pm'd me a recommendation for a hotel in Cardiff, which is very good, but yours are good too, and being so local has the advantage for  my research in Merthyr.  I think I will definitely take your advice and contact the library tomorrow to find out exactly what they have, I thought the electoral roll would help, but maybe not!
I really wanted to check Parish Records, Poor Law records, at the Records Office, and just browse the collection really to familiarise myself ready for my next trip.  This trip I was going to focus on the Cemetery Records.

thank you also for the information about the Registrar's office, they have been so helpful to me this last year, I'd like to go in and say thankyou.

I do only want info on Glam records and specifically Dowlais and Merthyr, and maybe Pontypridd (Abercynon) but I thought I'd save Pontypridd for another trip.  All of my rellies seem to be from Glam, Wilts and London and none from Berkshire where I am, so I don't think I'll need the LDS, well not at the present any way.
Thanks again for your help and advice,
Newbie