As of writing this, it’s been 538 days since the Redhouse – our big red cultural heartbeat — shut its doors.
A lot can happen in over a year.
Since then, we’ve had a new Prime Minister (not that that’s unusual), a new First Minister in Wales, two sets of GCSEs and A-Levels, the demolition of part of town, a visit by Tiffany, and wo Taylor Swift albums (we’re cheating, the first came out just before Redhouse closed – no connection).
A lot more’s gone on, but still no plan to reopen the building that was supposed to represent the creative future of Merthyr.
Our Editorial Team remembers the years that the Redhouse (or the old Town Hall, or the Zone for the ’90s clubbers) was left derelict. The famous Dragon mosaic a dumping ground for old cans and McDonald’s wrappers. The only activity you’d see was the occasional visit by Torchwood.
The Redhouse wasn’t just bricks, stained glass, and a café filled with College kids – it was meant to be a symbol. A hub for art, community, and a sign of Merthyr’s regeneration after god-knows how many years of decline. It was that building that held conferences in the midst of the Miner’s Strike, that building that signified the epicentre of our town, those halls that Keir Hardie knew well when changing the landscape of Britain forever. It cost £8,000,000 to re-develop the Redhouse, with it opening in 2014, and closing in 2024 – just 10 years of activity.
Now, it’s just another one of the god-knows how many misnmanaged Merthyr projects, and yet another landmark in Merthyr’s long history that’s been left to rot.
We don’t forget here at the Pioneer. We’ve decided to set up a little clock on our homepage to remind everyone how much time has been wasted — time that could’ve been filled with gigs, plays, exhibitions, events, and action.
Until the doors open up again, our counter keeps ticking. We’ll be keeping you updated on any developments, and will take the question back to you: What do you want to see happen?
If those in charge in Merthyr don’t care about Merthyr’s culture, it’s heritage, it’s future: you’ve always got us.
🟥 Got an idea for what should happen with the Redhouse?
Send it in. We’ll publish the best ones. Let’s remind the ones in charge that our creativity, and our heritage will never die – it’ll just find another venue.
