Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

It has graced the landscape for more than a decade, but Rhymney’s Twisted Chimney has had its ‘secret’ revealed by recent bad weather.

The piece of public art, which cost £180,000, gives the appearance of being made of redbrick – but part of its facade has now fallen away.

Many people took to social media to comment on the damage adding their shock that the artwork, in Butetown, was not actually made of brick.

The artwork is in fact carved in polycarbonate, coated in a waterproof covering and then hand-painted.

The sculpture was installed by Caerphilly County Borough Council in 2010 with Heads of the Valleys regeneration funding from the Welsh Government.

Labour councillor Carl Cuss, who represents Twyn Carno, said: “I think local people were quite shocked that the monument wasn’t built out of actual bricks, but as I pointed out on my social media page the materials used to make this can be seen in a video produced by the council back in 2010.”

A spokesperson for Caerphilly County Borough Council told Caerphilly Observer: “We were made aware of damage to the Twisted Chimney and our highways team will make it safe.

“We intend to repair the artwork, but it will take time to assess the damage and prepare a remediation plan, with the artist, to stop it deteriorating further and to replace the missing sections as seamlessly as possible.

“The Twisted Chimney is on Welsh Government land. We received permission from them to install the artwork.”

The Twisted Chimney, or Simnai Dirdro in Welsh, was designed by New York-based artist Brian Tolle – his first in the UK.

Eight metres high and 16 metres long, it stands on land that used to be a railway line and is near the site of the former Union Ironworks.

According to Mr Tolle’s website, the artwork is modelled after a 19th century brick smokestack but has been turned on its head.

A structure like this in the past would have pumped pollutants into the air, but here the Twisted Chimney illustrates the pumping of carbon dioxide into the ground – representing both hope for the future and the modern technologies designed to stop global warming.

The damage caused has highlighted the need for a maintenance regime, according to MS Dawn Bowden,  who represents Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney in the Senedd.

Ms Bowden, who is also the deputy minister for arts and sport, said: “As the local member of the Senedd for Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney it is disappointing to see that the weather has taken its toll on the Twisted Chimney in Rhymney. 

“This incident has also highlighted the need for a maintenance routine in the general area and I am writing to the Welsh Government to highlight that need”.

Cllr Cuss added that he has engaged with Ms Bowden and the council to establish a regular grounds maintenance programme alongside the repairs needed.

This article was updated on January 3 2024 to correct the date of the installation of the Twisted Chimney. This was 2010, not as originally stated in 2011.