My friend and neighbour Merlin has a huge challenge/project going on for the last couple of months to attempt to build a replica of a plane built in about 1904 here in the Garw valley.
I have had the pleasure of trying to document the building of the said plane as the project has been progressing. Sadly Merlin’s health has slowed him up greatly but his determination is a pleasure to witness.
I love popping next door to his workshop and exploring all his quirky, interesting pieces dotted about.
Hopefully this project will see the light next year and I will be there to see the finale 🙂
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-21366975
Thanks for looking…. comments welcomed
tim dobbs photography 
Christopher Carlyon was my husband’s grandfather’s brother if you can follow that – Brian Carlyon. His grandfather was Ernest Carlyon, Christopher’s brother. How is Merlin doing with this project. We would love to meet him. Sue and Brian
I am sorry to say Merlin passed away a few months ago.
We had the pleasure of meeting Merlin at his workshop in 2010 – he autographed his book “Whilst The Valley Sang 1900 -1914” A charming man with an incredibly inventive mind. We now wonder what has happened to his workshop and all the products of his life – did he ever get them transferred to a museum – we would love to see them again?
How we as family miss Merlin so very much. His next of kin are his daughters who sadly I don’t know. I too often wonder what happened to all Merlins inventions. We love so much of the wood work he did. But his best blag of all was his ‘mummy under the stairs’. A true eccentric. Loved and missed. X
Hi Tim,
I just found your blog post today.
I met Merlin once, a very long time ago, it was around 1981-82, I think, in Aberkenfig, in the car park next to the library, I was around 10 or 11 and with my Mum, in her brand new 2CV.
And Merlin was in his amazing 2CV – I don’t know if you know about it?
My memories are faded now so I can’t remember the colour, all that I remember is that he had built a huge clockwork key – to match the scale of the car – into the boot lid. He had also constructed a mechanism inside the boot that enabled the key to rotate as he drove the car along the road!
I now live in Brittany and I see vintage 2CVs fairly often. And the memory of Merlin’s 2CV and clockwork key comes back to me and I tell my kids about it. It always brings me so much pure, unadultreated joy – it’s one of my favourite memories from childhood.
I remember Merlin having long hair back then, looking somewhat druid like? But this might just be my childhood memories being somewhat jumbled?
I know that much time has passed now but I am still so sorry for the loss of such a wondeful friend.
The world needs far more people like Merlin.
When people stop being playful, when they lose their sense of fun and shut off their inner child, then they close themselves off to creativity and imagination and adventure.
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After primary school, like many in the area, I went to Blaengarw for the first year of comp and then Ynysawdre aftterwards for a year, but then changed schools.
I share many memories of the Garw Valley, of learning to swim in Llangeinor pool, and going up to the Llangeinor Arms for blackcurrant and lemonade in the summer with my parents.
I learn to drive spending hours driving up, down and over all of those roads.
Diolch am y hiraeth.