Vanished Wales: How Brynmawr's Dunlop Semtex Rubber factory inspired the Sydney Opera House

Just one building remains of a site that inspired architecture on the other side of the world.

Tucked away in the corner of a retail park in Brynmawr stands a building with a remarkable past. 

Its influence spanned the world, and what remains today has survived against the odds.  

Wander through the Blaenau Gwent town and you might just spot a distinctive two storeyed building with an unusual curved roof.

It’s an old boiler house, one of the only reminders of the long lost Dunlop Semtex Factory. 

Built in the late 1940s to replace jobs lost when local coal mines closed, the factory produced rubber and PVC flooring.

The Dunlop Semtex was a major employer in Brynmawr and the surrounding area.

The material was used in homes and public buildings across the UK, adding a splash of colour to post-war Britain.

The factory employed hundreds of workers, and its revolutionary design inspired awe more than 10,000 miles away.

Eifion Lloyd Davies, from the Brynmawr Historical Society, told ITV’s Vanished Wales: “It was unique in many ways. They built it with an egalitarian status. 

“Everybody was equal. Everybody walked into the factory up a ramp and through the same doorway.

“The most important part of the factory were the domes. There were nine altogether; shell shaped domes in rows of three.

Ove Arup went on to work on the Sydney Opera House

The structural engineer on the project went on to work on the Sydney Opera House, which is probably the most iconic building in the world today.

“It was very, very important.”

The project’s lead was the renowned engineer Sir Ove Arup, who went on to play a key role in the design of the Sydney Opera House. Its famous roof ‘shells’ echo the domes at Brynmawr.

The Dunlop Semtex Factory was a local landmark and it was where lifelong friendships were formed.  

For Roy and David, the factory was where lifelong friendships were forged.

David Morgan and Roy Fowler worked there in the 1960s, and they remain the best of friends more than half a century later.

“Those were the best times of my life,” David said. “You just looked after one another, they were your butties.”

Roy continued: “They were all like brothers, they would all help one another.

“If you had something wrong in the house and you couldn’t fix it, somebody there could.”

The factory's original boiler house now stands alone in the corner of a retail park

However, in the 1970s, the factory’s fortunes began to decline as the UK’s flooring market was flooded by cheaper imports. 

It eventually closed in 1982, with the loss of 600 jobs.

Although it stood empty, its architectural importance was widely celebrated.  In 1986, it became the very first post-war structure in Britain to become a listed building, earning a Grade II* designation.

But in 2001, the factory was torn down, including all nine of its famous domes. 

The local council’s vision for the site was retail and housing. The only original building that was spared was the factory’s boiler house. 

Wayne Hodgins is now the owner of all that is left of the Dunlop Semtex factory

It’s now owned by Wayne Hodgins, who has bought it with the hope of restoring it one day.

“When the original Dunlop Semtex was knocked down, I saw what it meant to the people who were protesting at the time. “I thought, ‘I need to help them to preserve something of their heritage’. 

“It’s become a labour of love. It’s become, on occasion, financially draining.

“However, I just wanted to give the community something they would be proud of, and hopefully make it into a tourist attraction. 

“Industrial buildings are the heritage of Wales, and this was the beating heart of the town.”

You can see more on this story in Vanished Wales on Tuesday 11 April at 8pm on ITV Cymru Wales.

You can also catch up with the series here.