“In 1859, local property owners petitioned the Home Secretary to establish a local government district for Blaenavon,” explains Cllr Matthews.

“Despite being an important and growing industrial town, Blaenavon was divided among several ancient parishes, leading to inefficiencies in governance. The request was granted in 1860, marking the birth of Blaenavon as an administrative district.”

The Council chamber's walls display wooden boards listing the names of local government chairmen from 1860 onwards.

The first, Thomas William Plum (1860–1863), was General Manager of the Blaenavon Iron and Coal Company.

"Thomas Plum had previously worked in public administration and understood the struggles faced by the labouring poor," notes Cllr Matthews.

"He saw it as his duty to improve the physical, moral, and intellectual status of the working class, making him an ideal first Chairman of the Blaenavon Local Board."

The Local Board, initially composed of business owners, company officials, and clergy, oversaw services like street naming and lighting, sanitation, road maintenance, and public health.

In 1894, it was replaced by the Blaenavon Urban District Council, which had greater powers and broader representation.

Cllr Matthews reflects on the town's past leaders, "The longest-serving Chairman was Thomas Hemming, the Blaenavon Company’s Forge Manager, who held the position for an impressive ten years from 1868 to 1878."

He adds, "The Chairman of the Local Board was traditionally a ‘company man’ – someone representing the town’s main industrial employer. That changed in 1894 when Cllr Henry Morgan Davies, a chemist, dentist, and chapel deacon, became the first Chairman of the newly formed Urban District Council. Over time, shopkeepers and local businessmen assumed the role, reflecting the growing influence of the Liberal Party."

Working-class representation also grew, culminating in the election of the first labouring-class Chairman, Cllr Samuel Godfrey, in 1910. Coincidentally, he was a distant cousin of the current Mayor.

“Cllr Godfrey was a moderate Liberal who worked across class divides,” says Cllr Matthews.

“However, younger, more radical members pushed for stronger socialist policies and joined the Labour Party.”

Blaenavon has produced several influential Labour politicians, including Cllr William Lewis Cook OBE, who campaigned for better social housing and later became Chief Conciliation Officer at the Ministry of Fuel and Power.

Another Blaenavon councillor, Isaac Hayward, went on to lead London County Council and was knighted in 1959.

A bronze bust of Sir Isaac, sculpted in 1961, was gifted to Blaenavon Council and is now displayed at Blaenavon Community Museum.

A prominent Blaenavon socialist was Arthur Henry Holder, a trade unionist and Chairman of the Blaenavon Branch of the South Wales Miners’ Federation.

“He was an outspoken firebrand, unafraid to speak truth to power,” says Cllr Matthews.

“He was also a brave man. In 1929, he was seriously injured in the Milfraen Colliery explosion but still carried an injured miner to safety. Tragically, his own father was among the nine men who lost their lives. Holder tried to return to save him but collapsed from exhaustion.”

Cllr Holder later became the youngest Chairman of Blaenavon Urban District Council in 1936, aged 36 years.

This was a tough period for Blaenavon, which was facing the hardships of the Depression, Cllr Holder’s tenure was marked by the visit of King Edward VIII, to whom he broke protocol by handing the monarch a letter signed by 30 Eastern Valley Hunger Marchers.

“He told the King, ‘We have willing hands to toil, but there is nothing for them to do.’ The King, sympathetic to the town’s plight, famously responded: ‘I very much regret this is so; something must be done for you.’”

During those years of economic gloom, Blaenavon Urban District Council supported the unemployed by commissioning the rebuilding of the council offices in Lion Street.

Completed in 1930 by taking on unemployed workers, the ceremonial silver key from the official opening remains part of the council’s civic collection.

To commemorate the King’s 1936 visit, the council chamber was refurnished, including a new presiding chair and desk.

“The same chair and desk are still used by Blaenavon Town Council today,” says Cllr Matthews.

“It’s not the most comfortable chair, but it carries a clear sense of history and continuity knowing that every Chairman for nearly 90 years has sat at that very desk.”

It was during Cllr Holder’s term that the Council adopted its first coat of arms and obtained a chain of office, presented to him in 1937. The medallion from that chain survives.

“It was designed by Iltyd G. Gwyn Thomas, the long-serving Clerk to the Council,” explains Cllr Matthews.

“The symbols on the shield reflect aspects of Blaenavon’s industrial and cultural identity and the motto ‘At Spes Non Fracta’ - ‘But Hope is Not Broken’ - was particularly meaningful during the economic hardships of the 1930s when Blaenavon must have felt like a town of lost hopes.”

A more formal coat of arms was granted by the College of Heralds in 1952, and a new chain of office featuring the updated emblem remains in use today.

The Local Government Act 1972 abolished Urban District Councils, transferring their powers to new Borough Councils in 1974.

To maintain community governance, Blaenavon Town Council was formed, ensuring continuity and civic tradition.

The first Mayor, Cllr William Arnold, received the chain of office from Cllr George Spencer, the final Chairman of Blaenavon Urban District Council.

Portraits of nearly all Blaenavon’s Mayors now hang in the chamber as a reminder of the town’s civic legacy.

Over 160 years, only seven women have served as Chairman. The first, Cllr Annie May Lewis, a headteacher, was elected as Blaenavon’s first female councillor in 1934 and remained in office until her death in 1980.

She served two terms as Chairman, welcoming Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh to Blaenavon in 1963. The signed portraits gifted to the council during that visit still survive.

The second woman to lead the council, Cllr Phyllis Roberts, was appointed in 1970. After a long political career, she returned to serve as Mayor of Blaenavon in 2017 at the age of 93, making her the oldest serving Mayor in Britain at the time.

“A town council, as the first and most local tier of government, should be a true reflection of the community it represents,” says Cllr Matthews.

“We must encourage candidates with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences and perspectives to step forward to help shape Blaenavon’s future.”

The chamber, now located next to the Workmen’s Hall and named the ‘Neil Lewis Chamber’ in tribute to another prominent councillor and former Chairman, also features more recent memorabilia, including certificates and trophies.

“These awards recognise the council’s modern achievements,” says Cllr Matthews.

“From community engagement to heritage projects and environmental initiatives, the council is involved in a range of activities. Our role today differs from our predecessors’, but town councils still have a valuable part to play in improving community wellbeing.”

Cllr Matthews concludes: “There have been 92 Chairmen, 16 Clerks, and hundreds of elected members since 1860. It is an honour to be part of that unbroken chain. History reminds us that while chairmen, councillors, and officers come and go, the role of local government in representing and supporting our communities endures and remains as important as ever.”