In short, pontygwaith means the bridge of the works. The villages name is taken from the welsh word pentref, which translates as homestead, though pentre is named after a large farm that dominated the area before the coming of industrialisation. Traditionally it was known for its coal mining was at its peak between 1840 and 1925 but there was much more than coal that came out of the rhondda. Cwm rhondda, is a former coal mining valley in wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the river rhondda. Children carried away by flood two sad drowning fatalities occurred in the rhondda river on saturday last, the victims being two little girls. High resolution old photos of pontygwaith in the rhondda valleys, glamorgan, south wales. Tragedy had already struck the family on the 14th october 19, when the sister of the rhondda heroes elizabeth ann ross nee hardwidge lost her husband william ross aged 45, her young sons peter d. Glamorgan, rhondda valleys, treherbert, fernhill colliery c1969. The special centenary will be marked with celebrations from april 29 to may 1 at rhondda heritage park mining museum, trehafod. Where the stream ran red memories and histories of a welsh mining valley. The rhondda valleys was once famed as the coal mining centre of the world. Both the singular term rhondda valley and the plural rhondda valleys.
Old photos of the rhondda valleys in glamorgan, wales. History information for rhossili and places above it in. Taith taf is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for 55 miles 89 km between cardiff bay and brecon in wales. Homes for sale in pontygwaith, rhondda cynon taff buy property. Pontygwaith is a village situated in the merthyr valley south wales. The federation of family history societies coordinates and assists the work of societies or other bodies interested in family history, genealogy and heraldry. Exactly half way up the eight mile long rhondda fach valley, the shorter and much narrower of the two rhondda valleys, is the former mining community of tylorstown with its satellite communities of pontygwaith and stanleytown, which together form a narrow ribbon of development about two miles long along the two sides of the valley.
Records in the welsh port books 99 show that consignments of welsh iron were. Members of the public are advised to adhere to the. The site provides a county by county alphabetical list of family history societies in england and. Aberdare railway oakwood library of railway history aberdare. Rhondda valleys information and history young rhondda valleys miners grown up all too soon click on photo for full image i would like to present on these pages, photographs and stories of the rhondda valleys, both old and contemporary. Pontygwaith is a small village located in the rhondda fach valley in the county borough of rhondda cynon taf, wales.
A second pontygwaith in the rhondda fach little rhondda, noisy one has also been mentioned as a last furnace location. On the reverse we include directories of llwynypia, tylorstown and pontygwaith in 1906. Happy go lucky 56 living life on a day to day basis in this up side down world we call home l try to absorb all the negative energy and think positive but alas it doesnt work out that way all of the time to end on a biblical term there go l for the grace of god said l. Rhondda valleys information and history high resolution old photos of pontygwaith in the rhondda valleys, glamorgan, south wales. Photos, maps, personal memories and local books of pontygwaith. Glamorgan, rhondda valleys, treherbert, fernhill colliery. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet. Treorchy and treherbert archive photographs by emrys jenkins isbn. Y porth is a town and a community in the county borough of rhondda cynon taf, within the historic county boundaries of glamorgan, wales, lying in the rhondda valley and is regarded as the gateway to the rhondda fawr and rhondda fach valleys because both valleys meet at porth. The map covers the northern part of llwynypia, and stretches from llwynypia colliery at the foot of the map northward to tyntyla isolation hospital and northeast to st davids church. Property details for 2 graig street pontygwaith ferndale cf43 3ly. Buy rhondda through time by alun seward, david swidenbank isbn. It was the first welsh language comprehensive school in the south of wales. It is so named because it follows the course of the river taff.
Index to the book rhondda, a second selection the archive photographs. Ferndale history and archive public group facebook. Rhondda golf club both the clubhouse and course are closed until further notice due to covid 19. Features include most of llwynypia colliery with railway lines, stretch of taff vale rhonddafawr branch, llwynypia homes, old levels and quarries, ystrad gas works, western edge of pontygwaith deri street, soap and candle works, tramways, rhondda river etc. The number of electoral council wards in rhondda cynon taf could be cut for 2022. The rhondda has a rich coal mining history, but the industry saw a steep decline from the 1940s to the 1980s, although the story of the. Llwynypia in 1915 in a fascinating series of reproductions of old ordnance survey plans in the alan godfrey editions, ideal for anyone interested in the history of their neighbourhood or family. A trip into the past through the last 112 years of pontygwaith. Search the history of over 406 billion web pages on the internet. Lesley groves posted an item for sale at pontygwaith, rhondda. Rhondda cyon taff county borough council election results 19952012, the election centre. The rhondda is actually two valleys the larger rhondda fawr valley mawr large and the smaller rhondda fach valley bach small so that the.
Due to the topography of the rhondda fach which is a narrow valley with steep sides and limited flat land on the valley floor the construction of the road was a major civilengineering. On 21 february 1804 richard trevithick ran the first ever steam locomotive along tracks, now known as the merthyr tramroad, carrying both iron ore and passengers, from penydarren near merthyr tydfil, via pontygwaith, south to abercynon. The entrepreneurial society of the rhondda valleys, 1840. With the retreat of the ice sheet, around 8000 bc, the valleys were further modified by stream and river. The last working mine in the village closed in the 1960s setting off a long period of economic decline which worsened following the 19841985 national miners strike which resulted in pits in nearby locations such as maerdy closing. Full text of the story of glamorgan internet archive. Stanleytown is a village located in the rhondda, rhondda cynon taf, wales history. Francis frith the uks leading publisher of local photographs since 1860. I have located her in pontygwaith, rhondda, in the county of glamorgan on the 1901 census at the age of 27. Old photos of pontygwaith in the rhondda rhondda valleys. During the course of the first world war the ymca undertook a range of work to support the war effort.
Meanwhile, the best rhondda history collection is at treorchy library. The avan valley, with its additional industries, is also profusely illustrated. Family history pontrhondda primary school trace your. Ysgol gyfun rhydfelengarth olwg is a welsh medium comprehensive school in the village of church village near pontypridd, in the county borough of rhondda cynon taf, wales. Glamorgan county history, volume vi, glamorgan society 1780 to 1980. Full text of the history of the iron, steel, tinplate and. Tylorstown was founded by alfred tylor who set up an early coal mining operation in the location in the mid19th century in january 1896, 57 miners were killed by an underground explosion in the tylorstown pits, newly taken over by the ferndale colliery. There is little of the original village remaining today. The rhondda valley actually comprises of two valleys, the rhondda fawr and the rhondda fach. By 1908 the first trams were running between trehafod and pontygwaith. This flat boasts easy access to the villages of porth and pontygwaith.
David davis at ferndale in the rhondda fach in 1857. Excellent history of the industrialization of wales. The rhondda valley is located in the upland, or blaenau, area of glamorgan. Featured texts all books all texts latest this just in smithsonian libraries fedlink us genealogy lincoln collection.
County borough council elections 2017, rhondda cynon taf county borough council. Pontygwaith photos, maps, books, memories francis frith. Its easy to add your own memories and reconnect with your shared local history. Pentre is a village, community and electoral ward near treorchy in the rhondda valley, falling within the county borough of rhondda cynon taf, wales. This will be the rhondda childrens gift to our brave boys in khaki rhondda leader, 4 dec 1915. Rhondda valleys information and history the history of the rhondda valleys with high resolution mining photographs. The complex network is explained with the aid of 34 detailed maps and some lengthy captions to the varied and historic photographs. Treorchy library station road treorchy cf42 6nn phone 01443 773204773592 fax 01443 777047 email treorchy. Colcombe i am looking for information about elizabeth colcombe, born in hereford, england, about 1874. The area this property is situated on a quiet, popular culdesac. Our restoration warriors are dedicated to preserving the history of traditional welsh education in their build. Browse a range of property to buy in pontygwaith, rhondda cynon taff with primelocation. Rhondda,cynon,taff pontygwaith memories of pontygwaith.
Dadfords 1790 glamorgan canal map showed the area indistinctly as pontgwaith. Fields of praise, the official history of the welsh rugby union 18811981. Advertising18991230the rhondda leader welsh newspapers. The landscape of the rhondda was formed by glacial action during the last ice age, as slow moving glaciers gouged out the deep valleys that exist today. Including aberdare welsh valleys the taff vale railway. A group where residents of ferndale old and new can share old pictures, stories and information. Top american libraries canadian libraries universal library community texts project gutenberg biodiversity. The rhondda homes know that to take away from one a son in the full attainment of manhood is a blow which quivers to the depths the domestic. A history of soar chapel, penygraig preachers names and brief history 18341901. The cause started by mr william david who had moved to dinas from bridgend and was known as william david y garreg the rock because of.
The photo above is of pontygwaith soup kitchens in 1926 at the communal hall, known locally as the shack. Bridge of work or bridge of the ironworks is a small village located in the rhondda fach valley in the county borough of rhondda cynon taf, wales. Some of the children of dyfatty school, swansea, who took part in the st davids day celebrations. Ross aged 22, and also her brotherinlaw robert ross aged 31, along with 435 other men and boys in the great. Attention was brought upon the school recently with the revival of a campaign to retain the name of ysgol gyfun rhydfelen over. The two rhondda valleys required a complex railway system to cope with their prolific coal output, which peaked at 9. Rhondda valleys information and history phil evans site. A second collection of over 200 blackandwhite photographs, including captions and reminiscences, portraying various aspects of life, work and leisure in the rhondda mining communities of porth, cymer, trehafod, dinas, ynyshir, wattstown, pontygwaith, tylorstown, ferndale and maerdy from the 1880s to 1990s.
Ysgol gyfun rhydfelen project gutenberg selfpublishing. This advert is located in and around pontygwaith, rhondda. She was married to my grandfather, john martin, who was born in troedyrhiw, merthyr, glamorgan, about 1863. Stanleytown is located in the ancient parish of llanwonno. Old photos of the rhondda valleys in glamorgan sir. A small number of people, showing considerable foresight, had however moved into the production of steam coal in the upper rhondda fawr and the rhondda fach ahead of this gold rush of the mid1860s. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger rhondda fawr valley mawr large and the smaller rhondda fach valley bach small. Glamorgan, rhondda valleys, pontygwaith communal kitchen staff 1926. Glamorgan, rhondda, penygraig coop delivery van 1930s melville howells holding milk crate. Cwm rhondda is a former coalmining valley in wales, consisting of 16 communities built around the river rhondda. For pontygwaith in the rhondda valley see pontygwaith, rhondda.
We can put you in touch with an agent for a free, no obligation property valuation. Nostalgic memories of pontygwaith s local history inspired by photos in the francis frith collection. The bridge called pont y gwaith was illustrated on emanuel bowens 1729 map of southern wales as one of three bridges in the valley along with pont yr ynn and pont merthyr tudful. The rhondda people will doubtless support the ymca in the same generous spirit that they always patronise deserving causes.