Aberdare

Wednesday, 05 December 2012

A walk through the old Aberdare to Merthyr railway tunnel

Jerry O'neill - Chappers and Doz Remix Feat Aberdare People

Maerdy Aberdare Mountain Flatout turbo rover derr uhh

Only Boys Aloud rehearsal in Aberdare Rugby Club

Illegal tree felling at Llwydcoed, Aberdare by Vertase FLI and Bellway homes

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Aberaman
Coordinates: 51°42′00″N 3°26′00″W / 51.7°N 3.433333°W / 51.7; -3.433333
Aberaman is a village near Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.
The local soccer club currently plays in the MacWhirter Welsh League, Division One. The club was formed in 1892 and was a founder member of the Welsh League in the 1902-03 season. Its home ground is at Aberaman Park, situated between the village and nearby Abercwmboi.

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Abercwmboi
Coordinates: 51°41′23″N 3°24′45″W / 51.689722°N 3.4125°W / 51.689722; -3.4125
Abercwmboi is a village in the Welsh county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, United Kingdom.
Abercwmboi is one of the last remaining villages in the Cynon Valley. It has retained its identity and not been developed as many other Cynon Valley villages. As a result is a very close and friendly community. Many families continue to remain within the community and have a great sense of belonging.
Abercwmboi Workmans Hall - which was paid for out of the miners contributions. Many trips and events have been run from here, with the miners taking their families on day trips, as a community. The hall has also been used as a cinema and a public house over the years.
It lies on the B4275 Cardiff Road - the old main route to Cardiff before the A4059 road was built - between Aberdare and Mountain Ash. It is the most south-easterly named settlement that for postal reasons comes under the town of Aberdare.
A yearly village carnival was held in the village. Every street would work on a 'float' and a theme. Then these floats would parade around the village and fete would follow in the local school. The winning float would then join the Aberdare carnival in the summer, and hope to win that parade. This tradition stopped in the 1980s.

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Abercynon
Coordinates: 51°38′40″N 3°19′36″W / 51.64449°N 3.32666°W / 51.64449; -3.32666
Abercynon is a small village in the Cynon Valley in Mid Glamorgan, Wales. The unitary authority is now known as Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is composed of the village of Abercynon itself, Carnetown, Glancynon, Park View and Pontcynon. However, in recent years the sign to show motorists they are entering Abercynon has been moved south of Pontcynon thus making the area known as Abercynon smaller. Ynysboeth and Matthewstown are part of the political ward as was Ynysybwl many years ago. However, these areas are not part of Abercynon, but are villages in their own right. They are much closer to Penrhiwceiber than Abercynon. Abercynon is approximately sixteen miles north of Cardiff and approximately forty miles from Swansea. The rivers Taff and Cynon converge at Watersmeet near Martin's Terrace. Abercynon used to have many churches, chapels and pubs. There are now only three public houses left - The Thorn Hotel, The Royal Oak, and the Carne Park Hotel. The only churches still left are St. Donat's Church in Wales, its daughter church, St. Gwynno's, St. Thomas' Roman Catholic Church and the Methodist church in Martin's Lane.

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Aberdare
Coordinates: 51°42′47″N 3°26′42″W / 51.713°N 3.445°W / 51.713; -3.445
Aberdare (Welsh: Aberdâr) is an industrial town in Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. The population at the 2001 census was 31,705 (ranked 13th largest in Wales). Aberdare is 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Merthyr Tydfil, 24 miles (39 km) north west of Cardiff and 22 miles (35 km) north east of Swansea.
From being, at the beginning of the 19th century, a mere village in an agricultural district, the place grew rapidly in population owing to the abundance of its coal and iron ore, and the population of the whole parish (which was only 1,486 in 1801) increased tenfold during the first half of the 19th century. It has since declined, owing to the loss of most of the heavy industry.
Ironworks were established at Llwydcoed and Abernant in 1799 and 1800 respectively, followed by others at Gadlys and Aberaman in 1827 and 1847. These have not been worked since about 1875. After this, the iron industry was represented only by a small tinplate works, but by this stage the economy of the town was dominated by the coal mining industry. There were also several brickworks and breweries. During the latter half of the 19th century, considerable public improvements were made to the town, which became, despite its neighbouring collieries, a pleasant place to live. Its institutions included a post-graduate theological college (opened in connection with the Church of England in 1892, until 1907, when it was removed to Llandaff).

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Aberdare bus station
Aberdare bus station is the bus stations serving Aberdare in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff in South Wales.
Located opposite the town's railway station, the bus station has 12 stands. It is served by Veolia Transport Cymru, Stagecoach, Glamorgan Bus and National Express.
90 Aberdare -Pontypridd Glamorgan Bus

Coordinates: 51°42′47″N 3°26′31″W / 51.71306°N 3.44194°W / 51.71306; -3.44194

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Aberdare Park
Aberdare Park (Welsh: Parc Aberdâr) is a well-preserved Victorian public park located in the village of Trecynon, near the town of Aberdare in South Wales.
The park occupies nearly fifty acres (20.25ha). It opened on 27 July 1869. It was landscaped and planted by William Barron who had laid out many parks in England. The park was created at the instigation of R.H. Rhys.
In 1956 the National Eisteddfod was held in the park. A Gorsedd circle was erected to commemorate this event, the stone circle still remaining.
The park is the location of the annual Aberdare Park National Road Races, which is a motorcycle race held on the 0.9-mile (1.4 km) circuit within the park. The road races in 2011 were held on the weekend of July 9th & 10th
The track is the only track in the country which takes a left course. It is also one of the best on the country, and the hardest.
Visitors to the park are greeted by the prominent sculpture of Sir William T. Lewis (Lord Merthyr). Unveiled in 1913, the sculptor was Thomas Brock. Trees of interest at the park include a large number of Giant and Dawn Redwoods, Japanese Maples and a Monkey Puzzle Tree.

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Abernant, Aberdare
Coordinates: 51°43′16″N 3°25′41″W / 51.721°N 3.428°W / 51.721; -3.428
Abernant situated in the Cynon Valley in the South Wales Valleys is a former coal mining village on the northeastern suburbs of Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
The village of Abernant was established in 1801, with the founding of the Abernant Ironworks. Among the first houses to be built were those at Little Row and Moss Place. The streets of Abernant reflect the importance of industry in the area in the 19th century, with streets named Engineer's Row, Foreman's Row and Collier's Row etc.
Abernant Railway Station opened in 1854 along the Vale of Neath branch line to Merthyr Tydfil. For some time the village was nicknamed The Trap, possibly because the Aberdare Iron Company Tramroad crossed the Parish Road to Abernant. The Marquis of Bute maintained a small cottage hospital in the area from 1875 until World War I, which was later used as the Trap Surgery until it was demolished in 1980.
A number of collieries operated in Abernant, many originally operated by the Aberdare Iron Company. The collieries were: Werfa No.1 (1846–1910); Werfa No. 2 (1879–1910); Mountain Pit (1866–1927); Blaennant Colliery (circa 1840–1927); Forge Pit (1851–1910) and River Level Colliery (circa 1840–1939). In 1896, a flooding disaster occurred at River Level Colliery which killed six colliers. The disaster occurred after it was inundated by water from the abandoned Ysguborwen Colliery. Although the Abedare Iron Company was responsible for the production of much coal in the Abernant area, it was never as well documented as some of the other works in the Rhondda Valley.

wn.com/Abernant,_Aberdare
Afon Clun
The Afon Clun is a 14-mile (23 km) long tributary of the River Ely (Welsh: Afon Elai), in the counties of Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. Its bedrock is predominantly of sandstone. Beginning on the western slope of The Garth (Welsh: Mynydd y Garth) the river is fast-flowing, in clear shallow water with a hard substrate, flowing to the south of Llantrisant and generally west to its confluence with the River Ely at Pontyclun, falling 715 feet (218 m) over its course.
The river contains species such as stone loach, lamprey, eel, roach, chub and bullhead, and the Afon Clun valley is home to many species, including dragonflies and damselflies, badger, and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, as well as the European Protected Species — bats, dormouse, otter and great crested newt. Birds in the area include Bullfinch, Kingfisher, Linnet, Reed bunting, Skylark, and Song thrush.
The valley is at risk of flooding between Cross Inn and Pontyclun and is liable to overflow its northern bank along its one and a half mile (2.5 km) length downstream from the main A4119 (Tonypandy to Cardiff Bay (Welsh: Bae Caerdydd)) road at Talbot Green, (Welsh: Tonysguboriau) to Pontyclun, providing a wetland wildlife habitat.

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Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (German pronunciation: [ˈbaːdən ˈvʏɐ̯təmˌbɛɐ̯k]) is one of the 16 states of Germany. Baden-Württemberg is in the southwestern part of the country to the east of the Upper Rhine, and is the third largest in both area and population of Germany's sixteen states, with an area of 35,742 square kilometres (13,800 sq mi) and 10.7 million inhabitants. The state capital is Stuttgart.
The sobriquet Ländle (dialect form for "small land") is sometimes used as a synonym for the Swabian part of Baden-Württemberg.^{[citation needed]}
The area used to be covered by the historical states of Baden, including the former Prussian Hohenzollern, and Württemberg, part of the region of Swabia.
Württemberg was occupied by the Romans in the first century AD who defended their position there by constructing a (limes) rampart. Early on in the third century, the Alemanni drove the Romans beyond the Rhine and the Danube, but in their turn they succumbed to the Franks under Clovis I, the decisive battle taking place in 496. It later became part of the Holy Roman Empire.

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Beddau
Coordinates: 51°33′22″N 3°21′28″W / 51.5560°N 3.3577°W / 51.5560; -3.3577
Beddau (English: Graves Welsh: Y Beddau) is a large village around 1.5 miles from Llantrisant and 4 miles from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.
Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau is the village's Welsh speaking primary school. English language medium schools are Gwaunmeisgyn Primary School and Llwyncrwn Primary School, which both feed into Beddau's secondary school Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive.
Beddau is notable for its exported rugby union talent, such as Neil Jenkins, Michael Owen and Gethin Jenkins who had attended Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive.
Beddau fields a rugby union team, Beddau RFC, as well as its own football team, Cwm Welfare AFC.
Beddau is served by bus services to Llantrisant, Cardiff and Pontypridd.
A station, Beddau Halt railway station on the Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway existed until 1964 quite some way south of the village. A private railway siding from the Treferig branch of the Llantrisant and Taff Vale Junction Railway to coal workings extended to the village existed for a time. Extensive sidings and rail traffic served Cwm Colliery and coking works until 1984 when the line to Pontyclun was closed and mothballed. Efforts are being made to reopen this line to passenger traffic.

wn.com/Beddau
Blaencwm
Coordinates: 51°40′44″N 3°33′35″W / 51.6790°N 3.5596°W / 51.6790; -3.5596
Blaencwm (Welsh: Blaen-y-Cwm) is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaencwm is very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.
Before the industialisation of the Rhondda, Blaencwm was a forested agricultural and rural area. There is evidence in the area of Mesolithic and Neolithic human activity, mainly through the discovery of basic hunting, foraging and tool making items. Blanecwm is also the site of three ruinous 16th century hafotai (summer houses ; Welsh language hafod), small agricultural dwellings discovered on the north-east slope of the village. Of all the hafotai discovered in the Rhondda the most important is Lluest discovered in Blaencwm and proof of the agricultural history of the area.
In the 19th century with the coming of the Taff Vale Railway, coal mines began opening in the upper Rhondda Fawr. Two mines were sunk in Blaencwm, the first was the Dunraven Colliery opened by Thomas Joseph's Dunraven United Collieries in 1865. The business went in liquidation in 1866 and was taken over by Watts and Company in 1872. Between then and 1913 when it was purchased again, this time by the Cory Brothers, it changed its name to Tydraw Colliery. It closed in 1956. The second colliery, Glen Rhondda, was opened in 1911 by Glenavon Garw Collieries. The mine was served by the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway which would travel through the Rhondda Tunnel. This pit was closed by the National Coal Board in 1966.

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Blaenrhondda
Coordinates: 51°41′05″N 3°33′05″W / 51.684677°N 3.551406°W / 51.684677; -3.551406
Blaenrhondda is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying at the head the Rhondda Fawr valley. Blaenrhondda is a very small village and is part of the community of Treherbert.
The earliest evidence of people habitating the area are the remains of an Iron Age settlement of several roundhouses grouped together in an obvious community, known as Hen Dre'r Mynydd. The dry wall layout of the ruinous site has led archeologists to believe that the people who lived in the area were early farmers. It has been identified as the largest undefended Iron Age settlement in south east Wales.
Before the industrialisation of the Rhondda Valleys in the late 19th century, Blaenrhondda was an agricultural area and sparsely populated. With the coming of the coal industry two mines were sunk in the locality. The first was the North Dunraven, also known as the Blaenrhondda, sunk in 1859, followed by Fernhill Colliery around 1871. The Dunraven closed in the 1920s but the Fernhill was still operating as late as 1978. In an attempt to break the monopoly of the Taff Vale Railway and the Cardiff docks, a tunnel was constructed through Mynydd Blaengwynfy to link up with the Rhondda and Swansea Bay Railway to supply coal to the Swansea Docks for export. The resulting tunnel, at a length of 3,300 yards was the longest rail tunnel in Wales and the seventh longest in Britain. Due to an issue with the weight the engines could pull, the rail link was never the success it was hoped to be, though it did prove popular with day-trippers from the Rhondda, visiting Swansea and the Gower. The station was closed in 1970.

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Brynna
Coordinates: 51°32′N 3°26′W / 51.53°N 3.43°W / 51.53; -3.43
Brynna (Welsh: Brynnau) is a small village situated between Pencoed and Llanharan. It is located at the point where the borders of two Welsh county borough's, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend, meet.
Due to Brynna's proximity to the M4 motorway as well as both Pencoed and Llanharan railway stations, it offers residents easy access to most of South Wales.
Brynna was originally called Brynna Gwynion but church records show that it was later shortened to Brynna from 1897 onwards.
Brynna is home to one primary school, Brynna Primary School and is a feeder school for nearby Pencoed Comprehensive School.
Opening in 1904 Brynna Primary School celebrated its centenary year in 2004 with a number of events taking part in the village.
Social life in Brynna focuses around the 1 pub in the village, The Mountain Hare. The famous Eagle Inn is now closed but has been purchased and is going to become an organic fruit and vegetable shop. Also, the The British Raj has now closed after two failed attempts and a name change. Brynna FC is the local football (soccer) team and it currently plays in the South Wales Amateur League Division 2.

wn.com/Brynna
Brynsadler
Coordinates: 51°31′05″N 3°23′58″W / 51.517993°N 3.399350°W / 51.517993; -3.399350
Brynsadler is a small village situated in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, it is part of the community of Pontyclun.
It has one pub, the Ivor Arms which for a brief period was named Y Draenog (English: The Hedgehog) but took back its original name in November 2007.
The main road to Cowbridge runs through the village, and is known locally as 'Brynsadler hill'. Brynsadler used to be home to the Crown Buckley brewery housed opposite the village pub. The brewery was bought by S A Brain and eventually relocated to Cardiff. The brewery and brewery houses were demolished and a housing estate called "Clos Brenin" replaced it.
Brynsadler also housed a chapel, called Capel Zion, located opposite the post office. It closed down and was converted into housing accommodation.
Given its position between Llanharry and Pontyclun, Brynsadler is a pit stop for many summer activities such as fun-runs.

wn.com/Brynsadler
Cardiff
Cardiff (ⁱ/ˈkɑrdɪf/; Welsh: Caerdydd (info) Welsh pronunciation: [kairˈdiːð, kaˑɨrˈdɨːð]) is the capital and largest city in Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. The unitary authority area's mid 2010 population was estimated to be 341,054, while the population of the Larger Urban Zone was estimated at 861,400 in 2009. Cardiff is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked 6th in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.
The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. The Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area outside of the county boundary, and includes the towns of Dinas Powys and Penarth. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city.

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Church Village
Coordinates: 51°34′12″N 3°19′18″W / 51.569920°N 3.321605°W / 51.569920; -3.321605
Church Village (Welsh: Pentre'r Eglwys) is a large village in the historic parish and community of Llantwit Fardre, located within the Taff Ely district of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The village is centrally located being around 4 miles from the local principal towns of Llantrisant to the southwest and Pontypridd to the north and is situated around 10 miles northwest of Cardiff city centre. Historically it was known as Cross Inn and fell within the traditional county of Glamorgan.
Church Village itself does not share the extent of industrial mining heritage of much of the rest of the county and largely comprises new and recent build housing. It is a rapidly growing urban area, today almost a town rather than a village, being much sought after to live in due to its proximity to Cardiff and Pontyclun. Church Village is also commonly used to refer to the whole CF38 postcode area of Pontypridd, comprising the adjoining principal settlements of - Beddau, Efail Isaf, Llantwit Fardre, Ton-teg, Tyn-y-Nant and Upper Church Village.

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Cilfynydd
Coordinates: 51°37′30″N 3°19′12″W / 51.625°N 3.32°W / 51.625; -3.32
Cilfynydd is a village in South Wales a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city Cardiff.
Siutated on the banks of the River Taff, the village was named after the farm that was situated on the east side of the valley, Cilfynydd Farm farmed by the Lloyd family most recently Gwun and Lewis now both deceased. Cilfynydd was originally a farming hamlet, consisting of some cottages built along the Glamorganshire Canal, surrounded by a few scattered farms. These properties, according to the 1881 census, housed about 100 people, but this all changed over the next two decades.
On 27 October 1913, Cilfynydd was to witness another destructive event. A cyclone swept through the village causing considerable damage and killing one of its inhabitants. In Richard Street, nearly all the shop fronts were blown in and the goods on sale scattered in the street. The corrugated iron roof of the Co-operation Stores was blown clean away and two roofs on houses in Park Place were stripped.

wn.com/Cilfynydd
Clydach Vale
Coordinates: 51°37′36″N 3°28′19″W / 51.626758°N 3.471919°W / 51.626758; -3.471919
Clydach Vale (Welsh: Cwmclydach and adjoining Blaenclydach) is a village adjoining Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the Rhondda Valley, Wales. It is named for its situation on the Nant Clydach, a tributary of the River Taff.
Before the coming of industrialisation, Clydach Vale was a sparsely populated agricultural area. Records show that in the seventeenth century the area was named Dyffryn Clydach (Clydach Vale), and was divided into two areas, Cwmclydach and Blaenclydach. Those two localities are today very much integrated. The Cwmclydach Community Partnership is made up of groups from both villages (and the wider community), plus the Clydach Vale Countryside Park and Mountain Forestry.
Clydach Vale Countryside Park lies between Cwmclydach's two lakes and is a haven for birds, flowers and butterflies. Two main routes are available for walkers and cyclists, with several access routes on to the surrounding mountains.

wn.com/Clydach_Vale
Coed-Ely
Coordinates: 51°33′58″N 3°25′01″W / 51.566°N 3.417°W / 51.566; -3.417
Coordinates: 51°33′58″N 3°25′01″W / 51.566°N 3.417°W / 51.566; -3.417
Coed-Ely is a small village located to the south of Tonyrefail in south Wales and is located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. The name Coed-Ely is a derivative of the Welsh words Coed-Elái which can be loosely translated into English as Ely Woods.

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Cwmaman
Coordinates: 51°41′00″N 3°26′00″W / 51.6833°N 3.4333°W / 51.6833; -3.4333
Cwmaman is a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name Cwmaman is Welsh language for "Aman Valley" (the River Aman being the main river flowing through the village). For postal purposes, it comes under Aberdare.
There is an array of parallel roads in the east part of the village. Burns Street and Spencer Street (along with the other streets collectively known as 'Poet's Corner') are amongst the steepest in the United Kingdom.
The band Stereophonics comes from Cwmaman.
The village is also home to the war poet, Alun Lewis, and a plaque in what is now Llanwonno Road marks the house where he once lived.
Cwmaman Public Hall & Institute is a community-owned enterprise: it consists of a concert room, theatre / cinema and fitness suite.
The local St. Joseph's Church was renovated in 2007. This work included the installation of solar panels on one side of its roof with the aim to sell back energy to the National Grid.

wn.com/Cwmaman
Cwmbach
Coordinates: 51°42′26″N 3°24′46″W / 51.707222°N 3.412778°W / 51.707222; -3.412778
Cwmbach is a village and community near Aberdare, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, United Kingdom. Cwmbach has a population of 4,283. Cwmbach means 'Little Valley' in Welsh (Cwm = valley, Bach = little)
Cwmbach like most of the Cynon Valley was a quiet isolated area before the coming of industry. Its rural calm was first disturbed by the building of the Aberdare canal which opened in May 1812, with traffic passing through the area now known as Cwmbach in order to reach the canal head further to the north or join with the Glamorganshire canal to the south. Originally opened for trade with the iron industry of the Aberdare region, the canal found itself ideally situated when in 1837 the first export steam coal pit was sunk in Cwmbach.
The Cwmbach Male Choir was formed in 1921 and were the first choir to sing at Cardiff Arms Park prior to an international rugby match. Local history being that they were formed at a local cricket match held in June 1921. A number of the crowd watching the game became uninterested in the play and began to sing hymns and part songs. This led to the suggestion that a Male Voice Choir be formed. From this a meeting was held at the Cwmbach Hall and Institute and the Cwmbach Male Voice Choir became a reality. The choir has shared a concert platform with some world famous artists, including Paul Robeson, Sir Geraint Evans, Stuart Burrows, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Constance Shacklock, Patricia Kern and the internationally renowned guitarist John Williams.

wn.com/Cwmbach
Cwmdare
Coordinates: 51°43′00″N 3°28′00″W / 51.716667°N 3.466667°W / 51.716667; -3.466667
Cwmdare (Welsh: Cwmdâr) is a village near Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village's history is intertwined with coal-mining, and since the decline of the industry in the 1980s, it has become primarily a commuter base for the larger surrounding towns of Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd, as well as the cities of Cardiff and Swansea.
The village's name literally translates as "Dare Valley". The Dare (Welsh: Dâr) is tributary that flows down from the Darren mountain, down through the village and on to Aberdare (literally "Mouth Of The Dare"), where it joins the larger River Cynon, one of the largest tributaries of the River Taff.
Before the exploitation of the South Wales Coalfield, Cwmdare was a scattering of a few houses and farms. However, in the 1850s with the Industrial Revolution fuelling the demand for coal, several deep coal mines were constructed in the area, and workers began to migrate there from other parts of Wales, as well as the South West of England.

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Cwmparc
Coordinates: 51°39′12″N 3°31′09″W / 51.6532°N 3.5193°W / 51.6532; -3.5193
Cwmparc is a village and a district of the community of Treorchy, in the Rhondda Valley, Wales.
Early legends tell of a medieval park, or hunting preserve, in the area called Parc Cwm Brychiniog, which was subsequently made into four farms in Tudor times, one of which was called Parc Uchaf and another Parc Isaf. Thus the area became known as Cwmparc and its stream Nant Cwmparc (Cwm being the Welsh for valley). With the development of the coal mining village in this part of the South Wales Valleys in the 19th century, the village also became known as Cwmparc.
Details of the early history and development of Cwmparc are contained within the booklet, ‘History of Cwmparc. King Coal Invades a Sylvan Valley’ by Mr Gwyn Prosser which was awarded the prize at Treorchy Semi-National Eisteddfod in 1923. The author describes Cwmparc in 1923 as ‘a mining village of considerable pretensions, aspiring almost to the more dignified name of township’ with a population of about five thousand. He describes the Parc [colliery] and, further down the valley, the Dare colliery, and the constant processions of [coal]-laden trucks running down the railway that flanked the Parc River.

wn.com/Cwmparc
Denmark
The Kingdom of Denmark (Danish: Kongeriget Danmark, pronounced [ˈkɔŋəʁiːəð ˈdanmɑɡ̊] ( listen)) is a constitutional monarchy and sovereign state consisting the country of Denmark in northern Europe and two autonomous constituent countries, the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic and Greenland in North America. The kingdom is a unitary state with some power being devolved from Denmark proper to Greenland and the Faroe Islands; this polity is referred to as the Danish Realm. Denmark proper is the hegemonial area, where judicial, executive, and legislative power resides. The Faroe Islands are defined to be a community of people within the kingdom, and the Greenlandic people are defined as a separate people with the right to self-determination.
Denmark is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, located southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. The country consists of a large peninsula, Jutland and many islands, most notably Zealand, Funen, Lolland, Falster and Bornholm, as well as hundreds of minor islands often referred to as the Danish Archipelago.

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Dinas Rhondda
Coordinates: 51°37′10″N 3°25′51″W / 51.61948°N 3.43073°W / 51.61948; -3.43073
Dinas (Welsh for 'city', or in this instance 'hill fort') is a village near Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Dinas is often referred to as Dinas Rhondda as in the railway station such as to avoid confusion with Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan. Other neighbouring settlements are Penygraig, Trealaw, Cymmer and Porth.

Dinas is famous for being the site of the first deep coal mine in the Rhondda valley, which being Dinas Lower (Dinas Isaf/Dinas Ishaf) Colliery sunk by Walter Coffin in 1812 close to his Dinas Levels near Penygraig. This was later followed by the sinking of the Dinas Middle Colliery in 1832 along the southern banks of the river Rhondda Fawr opposite from Dinas Rhondda railway station. From here coal was carried via tramway via Porth and Cymmer, Trehafod and through to Pontypridd, where it was conveyed by canal to Cardiff. By 1893 production had ceased in both collieries.

wn.com/Dinas_Rhondda
Efail Isaf
Coordinates: 51°33′05″N 3°19′13″W / 51.551389°N 3.320278°W / 51.551389; -3.320278
Efail Isaf is a small village located to the south of Llantwit Fardre in south Wales and is located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf within the community of Llantwit Fardre. The former Barry Railway ran nearby. Efail Isaf has a village hall
Capel y Tabernacl - Tabernacl Chapel is the only place of worship in the village. In 1970, its membership had dwindled to very small numbers and the members were considering the closure of the chapel. The chapel now has almost 200 regular attenders in the Welsh language congregation. Over recent years, the chapel has become a focal point for a significant amount of fund raising for charities. In 2008, the members of the chapel decided to renovate the old vestry to turn it into a community facility that all could use. The project was completed in summer 2010, at a cost of around £450,000.

wn.com/Efail_Isaf
England
England ⁱ/ˈɪŋɡlənd/ is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, while the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separate it from continental Europe. Most of England comprises the central and southern part of the island of Great Britain in the North Atlantic. The country also includes over 100 smaller islands such as the Isles of Scilly and the Isle of Wight.
The area now called England was first inhabited by modern humans during the Upper Palaeolithic period, but it takes its name from the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes who settled during the 5th and 6th centuries. England became a unified state in AD 927, and since the Age of Discovery, which began during the 15th century, has had a significant cultural and legal impact on the wider world. The English language, the Anglican Church, and English law—the basis for the common law legal systems of many other countries around the world—developed in England, and the country's parliamentary system of government has been widely adopted by other nations. The Industrial Revolution began in 18th-century England, transforming its society into the world's first industrialised nation. England's Royal Society laid the foundations of modern experimental science.

wn.com/England
Fernhill, Wales
Coordinates: 51°41′27″N 3°24′38″W / 51.690814°N 3.410555°W / 51.690814; -3.410555
Fernhill is a village near Mountain Ash in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
The village is served by Fernhill railway station on the Merthyr Line - Aberdare branch.
The Welsh translation for 'Fernhill' is 'Brynrhedyn' but is never in use.

wn.com/Fernhill,_Wales
France
France (English ⁱ/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km² (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km² / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.

wn.com/France
Gelli, Rhondda
Coordinates: 51°38′36″N 3°28′43″W / 51.643352°N 3.478743°W / 51.643352; -3.478743
Gelli is a village in the Rhondda Fawr valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, Wales, situated on the southern bank of the Rhondda Fawr River. Gelli is a former coal mining village which is a district of the community of Ystrad.
The village of Gelli takes its name from a farm that was once found in the area, which translates from the Welsh language roughly as 'small wood or copse'. Before the industrialisation of the area there were few settlements in the area, mainly small agricultural and farm buildings. Archeological finds in the area have provided proof of earlier populations, mainly Bronze Age, though Gelli does house one of only two definite Romano-British finds in the Rhondda Valleys. Roman finds in the uplands of Glamorgan are scarce, but the settlement at Hen Dre'r Gelli, excavated in 1903, is the only undefended settlement of its type in the Rhondda. A lengthy archealogical report was published in 1906, but little remains of the site, with much destroyed during the construction of the Nant y Gwyddon refuse tip.

wn.com/Gelli,_Rhondda
Germany
Germany (ⁱ/ˈdʒɜrməni/), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundesrepublik Deutschland, pronounced [ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant] ( listen)), is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km² and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8 million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state and the largest economy in the European Union. It is one of the major political powers of the European continent and a technological leader in many fields.
A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD 100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward, and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic–Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states into the German Empire in 1871 which was Prussian dominated. After the German Revolution of 1918–1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the Weimar Republic in 1918, and partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was proclaimed in 1933. The latter period was marked by Fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990 Germany was reunified.

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Gilfach Goch
Coordinates: 51°44′00″N 3°29′00″W / 51.733333°N 3.483333°W / 51.733333; -3.483333
Gilfach Goch (English: Red Valley) is a small former coal mining village in Rhondda Cynon Taff, south Wales, near the larger community of Tonyrefail in the Ogmore (Ogwr Fach) Valley.
It is reputed to have once been home to the author Richard Llewellyn who based his novel How Green Was My Valley in a fictional town assumed to be based on Gilfach Goch. Llewellyn would spend long summer holidays with his grandfather in the village.
The oldest building in the village is the Griffin Inn pub, which is situated at the bottom of a country lane.
In the 2001 census the village had the largest percentage of people (in the whole of England and Wales) who listed their religion as no religion.
Bryn Allen (1921–2005) , the Wales international footballer was born in Gilfach Goch.

wn.com/Gilfach_Goch
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: Morgannwg [mɔrˈɡanʊɡ] or Welsh: Sir Forgannwg [ˈsiːr vɔrˈɡanʊɡ]) is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan. The name also survives in that of the county borough of the Vale of Glamorgan.
Although initially a rural and pastoral area of little value, the area that became known as Glamorgan was a conflict point between the Norman lords and the Welsh princes, with the area being defined by a large concentration of castles. After falling under English rule in the 16th century, Glamorgan became a more stable county, and exploited its natural resources to become an important part of the Industrial Revolution. Glamorgan was the most populous and industrialised county in Wales and was once called the 'crucible of the Industrial Revolution', containing the world centres of three metallurgical industries, and its rich resources of coal.

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Glenboi
Coordinates: 51°41′13″N 3°23′46″W / 51.687°N 3.396°W / 51.687; -3.396
Glenboi is a village located 1 mile North of the town Mountain Ash in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
The English translation of Glenboi is Wood Valley , "Glen" meaning a "small valley" and "boi" meaning "wood"

wn.com/Glenboi
Glyncoch
Coordinates: 51°37′19″N 3°20′24″W / 51.622°N 3.34°W / 51.622; -3.34
Glyncoch is a village to the north of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The name Glyncoch is Welsh for 'Red glen' (glyn "glen, small valley" + coch "red").
Glyncoch is a mainly social housing community between Pontypridd and Ynysybwl lying on the mountain opposite Coed-Y-Cwm. Within the commumity there are three grocery shops, Post Office, Pharmacy, Chinese Takeaway, Community Centre and two schools.
Bus services to and from the community are frequent with services to Pontypridd, Ynysybwl and Aberdare. Bus routes are operated by Veolia Transport Cymru and New Adventure Travel.

wn.com/Glyncoch
Glynfach
Coordinates: 51°36′38″N 3°24′33″W / 51.61060°N 3.40928°W / 51.61060; -3.40928
Glynfach (Welsh for 'small valley') is a district of the community and electoral ward of Cymmer, within the town of Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf. There are no shops in Glynfach, however there is one pub - The Colliers Arms - and one parish church - St. John's Church. Glynfach consists of only a handful of streets, most of which are terraces.

Adjoining Glynfach is the small district of Britannia. Glynfach was also once the location of Glynfach Colliery, sunk in 1851.

The Colliers Arms St John's Church

wn.com/Glynfach
Llandaff
Llandaff (Welsh: Llandaf llan church + Taf) is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff Fields.
Most of the history of Llandaff centres on its role as a religious site. Before the creation of Llandaff Cathedral it became established as a Christian place of worship in the 6th century AD, probably because of its location as the first firm ground north of the point where the river Taff met the Bristol Channel, and because of its pre-Christian location as a river crossing on an east west trade route. Evidence of Roman-British ritual burials have been found under the present cathedral. The date of the moving of the cathedral to Llandaff is disputed, but elements of the fabric date from the 12th century, such as the impressive Romanesque Urban Arch, named after the 12th century Bishop, Urban. It has had a history of continual destruction and restoration, as a result of warfare, neglect, and natural disaster. Llandaff has been a focal point of devastating attacks by Owain Glyndŵr and Oliver Cromwell. It was the second most damaged Cathedral in the UK (after Coventry Cathedral) following Luftwaffe bombing during World War II, and subsequently restored by the architect George Pace. One of its main modern points of interest is the aluminium figure of Christ in Majesty (1954-5), by Jacob Epstein, which is suspended above the nave. In 2007 a lightning strike to its spire sent a surge through the building which destroyed its organ. Its replacement, the largest to be built in the UK for over 40 years, was inaugurated in 2010.

wn.com/Llandaff
Llanharan
Coordinates: 51°32′N 3°26′W / 51.53°N 3.43°W / 51.53; -3.43
Llanharan (Welsh: Llanharan) is a small village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Llanharan thrived during the British industrial revolution, with several tin and coal mines in the location providing employment to the town's residents. With the decline of heavy industry in the South Wales Coalfield, Llanharan has been in economic decline, though its proximity to the M4 motorway offers its residents easy commutable access to most of South Wales.
The most recognisable features of Llanharan are its historic town square, Llanharan House and Church of St Julius and Aaron.
On the outskirts of Llanharan, overlooking the village, sits Llanharan House. It was built in 1750 by Rees Powell and stayed with the Powell family until 1795 upon which it was purchased by Richard Hoare Jenkins. Hoare Jenkins was a High Sheriff of Glamorgan and he was involved in the suppression of the Merthyr Rising of 1831, and is recorded as stating he found the execution of Dic Penderyn as the most difficult of his civic duties. Around 1800 some major improvements were made to the house with the addition of a three-storey circular stair hall which includes a dramatic geometrical staircase. Following the death of Hoare Jenkins in 1856 the house and the estate was passed to a Colonel John Blandy-Jenkins. Following his death in 1915 Colonel Blandy-Jenkins's wife kept the house until 1953.

wn.com/Llanharan
Llanharry
Coordinates: 51°30′53″N 3°26′07″W / 51.5146°N 3.4352°W / 51.5146; -3.4352
Llanharry (Welsh: Llanhari) is a small village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Historically Llanharry has been inextricably linked with iron mining as far back as the Roman period and Elizabethan era, and for a period in the 20th century it boasted the only iron mine in Wales.
Llanharry iron mine worked from the early 1900s but closed in 1976; its main ore was goethite, which was used at the local ironworks.
Since the closure of its mines and ironworks, Llanharry has been in economic decline, but this is an event that has occurred across most South Wales Valleys villages once dependent on heavy industry. Llanharry's proximity to the M4 motorway in Wales has allowed its residents opportunities to commute to work more easily rather than seeking work locally.
Llanharry contains a few small local amenities, such as a corner shop and a hairdressers.
Llanharry is home to Llanharry Primary School, built 1935 and Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari Welsh medium secondary school which was built in 1974.

wn.com/Llanharry
Llwydcoed
Coordinates: 51°44′00″N 3°28′00″W / 51.733333°N 3.466667°W / 51.733333; -3.466667
Llwydcoed is a village in the Northern end of the Cynon Valley near the town Aberdare, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales.
Initial development of the village was based around the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 workers' housing was built by Thomas ap Shencin ap Gibbon of Fforchaman Farm. Other early housing was built at Miner's Row, Founder's Row and Scales Houses. The names of these streets betray their early origins; the Scale family were among the founders of the works and remained partners until 1846.
In the second half of the 19th century a new period of growth was instigated by the development of the coal industry in the area. Matthew Wayne Esq. of the Gadlys Ironworks opened the Dyllas Colliery in 1840 and in 1849 Ysguborwen Colliery was sunk by Samuel Thomas and Thomas Joseph. Among the houses built in this period were those at Moriah Place, Horeb Terrace and Grey's Place. Exhibition Row was built in 1851 and was named Exhibition Row in honour of the Great Exhibition held at Crystal Palace that year.

wn.com/Llwydcoed
Llwyncelyn
Coordinates: 51°36′48″N 3°23′55″W / 51.6132°N 3.3986°W / 51.6132; -3.3986
Llwyncelyn (English: Hollybush) is a district of Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Consisting of five long terraces and two modern housing developments, Llwyncelyn is the home of one shop and a parish church, St. Luke's Church.
Llwyncelyn is also where Porth Harlequins RFC play their home rugby union matches.
Nearby Nyth-Brân Farm was the home of legendary athlete Guto Nyth Brân.

wn.com/Llwyncelyn
Llwynypia
Coordinates: 51°38′07″N 3°26′55″W / 51.635141°N 3.448564°W / 51.635141; -3.448564
Llwynypia (also spelled Llwyn-y-pia), is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Tonypandy in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. Before 1850 a lightly populated rural farming area, Llwynypia experienced a population boom between 1860 and 1920 with the sinking of several coal mines after the discovery of large coal deposits throughout the Rhondda Valleys.
The Welsh name means "the grove of the Magpie" or "Magpie's Bush" and was taken from the name of a farm that once existed in the area.
Situated on the River Rhondda Fawr where the river changes direction from south-east to southerly, Llwynypia holds evidence of human habitation from the Bronze Age through to modern times. On Mynydd y Gelli, a hill overlooking the area to the west, lies the Iron Age settlement of Hen Dre'r Gelli, a site which also has several Bronze Age cairns.

wn.com/Llwynypia
Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil (/ˈmɜrθər ˈtɪdvɪl/; Welsh: Merthyr Tudful [ˈmɛrθər ˈtɨːdvɨ̞l]) is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of Glamorgan. It is often referred to simply as 'Merthyr'. The current administrative area of the Merthyr County Borough consists of the northern part of the Taff Valley and the smaller neighbouring Taff Bargoed Valley.
According to legend, the town is named after Saint Tydfil, a daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog. According to her legend she was slain at Merthyr by pagans around 480; the place was subsequently named Merthyr Tydfil in her honour. Although the usual meaning of the word merthyr (from the Latin martyrium) in modern Welsh is 'martyr', it is probable that the meaning here is "church (in memory of a saint or on his/her grave)." Similar examples, all from south Wales, include Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Dyfan and Merthyr Mawr. The Cornish and Breton language equivalents, in place names, are merther and merzher.

wn.com/Merthyr
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil (/ˈmɜrθər ˈtɪdvɪl/; Welsh: Merthyr Tudful [ˈmɛrθər ˈtɨːdvɨ̞l]) is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of Glamorgan. It is often referred to simply as 'Merthyr'. The current administrative area of the Merthyr County Borough consists of the northern part of the Taff Valley and the smaller neighbouring Taff Bargoed Valley.
According to legend, the town is named after Saint Tydfil, a daughter of King Brychan of Brycheiniog. According to her legend she was slain at Merthyr by pagans around 480; the place was subsequently named Merthyr Tydfil in her honour. Although the usual meaning of the word merthyr (from the Latin martyrium) in modern Welsh is 'martyr', it is probable that the meaning here is "church (in memory of a saint or on his/her grave)." Similar examples, all from south Wales, include Merthyr Cynog, Merthyr Dyfan and Merthyr Mawr. The Cornish and Breton language equivalents, in place names, are merther and merzher.

wn.com/Merthyr_Tydfil
Mid Glamorgan
Coordinates: 51°48′58″N 3°22′05″W / 51.816°N 3.368°W / 51.816; -3.368
Mid Glamorgan (Welsh: Morgannwg Ganol) is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.
Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It consisted of part of the former administrative county of Glamorgan, and the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, along with the parishes of Penderyn and Vaynor from Brecknockshire and the urban districts of Bedwas and Machen, Rhymney and part of Bedwellty, from Monmouthshire.
It was divided into six districts:
Mid Glamorgan and its component districts were abolished in 1996 and the area split into the unitary authorities of Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf and part of Caerphilly as a result of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.
The communities of Wick, St Brides Major, Ewenny (from the Ogwr district) became part of the Vale of Glamorgan county borough, while Pentyrch (from the Taff-Ely district) was added to the Cardiff unitary authority area. Because of this, they became part of the preserved county of South Glamorgan. In 2003 the ceremonial borders were further adjusted, placing the entire Caerphilly county borough in the ceremonial county of Gwent.

wn.com/Mid_Glamorgan
Miskin
Coordinates: 51°31′08″N 3°22′33″W / 51.518804°N 3.375753°W / 51.518804; -3.375753
Miskin (Welsh: Meisgyn) is a village approximately 2 miles south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
The origin of the village was a small hamlet known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm. Miskin is part of the Pontyclun electoral ward.
Originally a small hamlet by the name of New Inn, the 1841 census records the settlement as having a population of 31. The opening of the Bute and Mwyndy iron ore mines in nearby Talbot Green in 1852 and 1853 respectively, had a huge impact on the small hamlet of New Mill. The census of 1861 shows that New Mill had become a village. Its population was now 83 people divided in 17 households, of these 83 residents 17 were iron ore miners. By the early 1870s New Mill had become the village of Miskin, with the village centre being based around the inn, which is now The Miskin Arms pub.
The name change from New Mill to Miskin was brought about by Judge Gwilym Williams, and was taken from the medieval commote of Miskin by Williams, a staunch Welsh patriot, he lived at Miskin Manor (built 1864), a Victorian L-plan mansion in a neo-Tudor style.

wn.com/Miskin
Montreal
Montreal (ⁱ/ˌmʌntriːˈɒl/;French: Montréal; pronounced [mɔ̃ʁeal] ( listen)) is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the fifteenth largest in North America. Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mount Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French (Mont Royal in present French). The city is located on the Island of Montreal, which took its name from the same source as the city, and a few much smaller peripheral islands, the largest of which is Île Bizard.
As of May 10, 2011, Statistics Canada identifies Montreal's Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) (land area 4,259 square kilometres (1,644 sq mi)) as Canada's second most populous with an estimated metropolitan area population of 3,824,221 and a population of 1,886,481 in the urban agglomeration of Montreal, which includes all of the municipalities on the Island of Montreal. The city of Montreal proper had a population of 1,649,519.

wn.com/Montreal
Penrhiwceiber
Coordinates: 51°40′12″N 3°21′40″W / 51.670°N 3.361°W / 51.670; -3.361
Penrhiwceiber (Welsh: Penrhiw-ceibr. Also sometimes spelt as Penrhywceibr or Penrhiwceibwr) is a former Welsh coal mining village and community deep in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. Penrhiwceiber is situated in the Cynon Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, it lies 1 mile south of the town of Mountain Ash. Penrhiwceiber was once a highly Welsh speaking village up until around the early 20th century, it is now home to Cylch Meithrin Penrhiwceiber which is a Welsh Medium Pre-school for local toddlers to attend. In accordance with the 2001 census, the village has a population of around 6,000 people. To the locals of the village, Penrhiwceiber is generally known as "the Ceiber" or "Y Ceiber". The village is served by Penrhiwceiber railway station on the Aberdare Valley Branch of the Merthyr Valley Line. To the east of the village lies the mountain Twyn Brynbychan which lies at around 1,348 ft above sea level.

wn.com/Penrhiwceiber
Penrhiwfer
Coordinates: 51°36′14″N 3°26′31″W / 51.604°N 3.442°W / 51.604; -3.442
Penrhiwfer (Welsh for "short hill end") is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
There is one shop, one church and one community centre. Three mildly residentially segregated communities exist within this settlement; these regions are locally referred to as the Back-Lanes, the New Houses and the Park. The Back-Lanes run parallel to Penrhiwfer road, spanning 0.2 miles, located to the South East of the Site. The New Houses is predominantly a council housing development and is located at the north west extreme of the village. The Park is adjacent to the church and community centre and to the immediate north of the new school.

wn.com/Penrhiwfer
Penrhys
Coordinates: 51°38′45″N 3°26′26″W / 51.645966°N 3.440613°W / 51.645966; -3.440613
Penrhys is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated on a hillside overlooking both valleys of Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach. It is situated around 1,100 ft above sea level and is a district of Tylorstown. Until the late 16th century, Penrhys was one of the holiest sites for Christian pilgrims in Wales.
The site of Penrhys has a rich religious history dating back to mediaeval times, though few settlements other than farmsteads can be traced to the area. Penrhys is significant for a mediaeval monastery, the holy shrine of "Our Lady" built at the holy spring of Ffynnon Fair. During the early 16th century the antiquarian John Leland wrote during his visit to the area that he saw "Penrise Village, where the Pilgrimage was", suggesting that a settlement had built up in the area. In 1538 the shrine was destroyed during the English Reformation, and the area appeared to fall into decline. With the arrival of industrialisation in the Rhondda Valley during the 19th century interest in the religious history of Penrhys increased. An archaeological dig at the old chapel was carried out in 1912 and a new statue of the Virgin Mary was unveiled in 1953. In February 1927 the first burial took place at Penrhys cemetery.

wn.com/Penrhys
Pentre
Coordinates: 51°39′17″N 3°29′32″W / 51.654736°N 3.492269°W / 51.654736; -3.492269
Pentre is a village and community, near Treorchy in Rhondda valley, falling within the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The village's 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. The community takes in the neighbouring village of Ton Pentre.
Pre-1850, the area which is now Pentre was made up of several scattered farms tended by tenant farmers for absentee landlords. With the discovery, in the early 19th century, of economically viable coal deposits in Dinas Rhondda it was not long until expeditions reached the mid valleys. In 1857 Edward Curteis of Llandaff leased the mineral rights of Tyr-y-Pentre from Griffith Llewellyn of Baglan and soon had two levels opened, the Pentre and Church. During the early part of 1864 deeper shafts had been sunk by the Pentre Coal Company. The mines in the Pentre were some of the most profitable of all the collieries in the Rhondda.

wn.com/Pentre
Penygraig
Coordinates: 51°36′48″N 3°27′10″W / 51.6133°N 3.4528°W / 51.6133; -3.4528
Penygraig (Head of the Rock) is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. As a community Penygraig contains the neighbouring districts of Dinas, Edmondstown, Penrhiwfer and Williamstown.
The original settlement which in now Penygraig was called Ffrwd Amos, though as with the rest of the Rhondda before industrialisation the only settlements were farmsteads. In 1832, Soar, one of the first baptist chapels in the Rhondda was built at Penygraig by preacher David Williams.
Coal mining began in Penygraig in 1857 when Thomas Ellis sank a drift mine. In 1858 Moses Rowlands and Richard Jenkins discovered a seam at Penygraig and would later form the Penygraig Coal Company. The Company sank the first deep pit in the village, The Penygraig Colliery; after which the village would be named. After the Penygraig Colliery showed a successful profit the Naval Colliery Company opened a second deep pit, The Pandy, which reached the steam coal seam in 1879. The Pandy was then sold to the New Naval Colliery Company after three disasters, which then opened three more deep mines The Ely, the Nantgwyn and the Anthony Pits. The New Naval company would then become part of the Cambrian Combine, owned by Viscount Rhondda. The Ely Colliery would be the centre of the Cambrian Combine dispute, which in turn would lead to the Tonypandy Riot.

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Penywaun
Coordinates: 51°44′00″N 3°29′00″W / 51.733333°N 3.483333°W / 51.733333; -3.483333
Penywaun (or: Pen-y-waun) is a village in the Cynon Valley situated between Aberdare and Hirwaun, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
The population of Penywaun is approximately 3,300.
Much of the local housing was built by the local Aberdare urban district council after the Second World War in several stages, starting with simple pre-fabricated houses.
In October and November 2006 a ballot was held to determine if tenants were happy with the Council's proposals to transfer its Council Homes to RCT Homes, a new not-for-profit local housing organisation. The result was a 55% turnout with 58% voting 'yes' and 42% voting 'no'.
The Charity Family Awareness and Drug Support - or F.A.D.S. - was launched in the village in June 2002. It was set up by a group of Penywaun parents. The founding members were parents who were either concerned about substance misuse or who were directly affected by their own children's misuse. FADS currently maintain an office at the Shopping Centre, in the centre of Penywaun.

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Pontyclun
Coordinates: 51°31′18″N 3°23′29″W / 51.521588°N 3.391256°W / 51.521588; -3.391256
Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a village in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is served by the South Wales Main Line and has its own local rugby union club. Like other surrounding towns, it has seen a sharp increase in its population in the last ten years as people migrate south from the South Wales Valleys, and west from the capital city of Cardiff.
Pontyclun translates from the Welsh language as 'bridge over the River Clun', the Clun being a tributary to the River Ely, that runs through Pontyclun. A bridge crosses the Afon Clun just before its confluence with the Ely.
The village is served by Pontyclun railway station.
The village falls into the remit of Pontyclun Community Council. Pontyclun Community Council represents the communities of Brynsadler, Castell y Mwnws, Groes-faen, Miskin, Mwyndy, Pontyclun, Talygarn, and recently the addition of Ynysddu (previously Llanharan) These eight areas together make up the 'Community of Pontyclun'.

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Pontygwaith, Rhondda
Coordinates: 51°38′16″N 3°25′49″W / 51.637676°N 3.430264°W / 51.637676; -3.430264
Pontygwaith (Welsh language: "Bridge to 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.
Pontygwaith takes its name from a blast furnace built in the early 16th century, though by 1863 it was described as a shapeless ruin The location of the furnace was at the north end of what today is Furnace Road and the only documented proof of the structure is in a contract drawn up in 1614 between John Hanbury of Pontypool and Richard ap Rhys of Llantrisant for the supply of charcoal to the "furnace of Penrees" (Penrhys).
Between 1849 and 1856, the Taff Vale Railway opened the Maerdy Branch from Porth, including a station at Pontygwaith. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1964, and the line closed completely and was lifted from June 1986 after coal from Mardy Colliery was raised through Tower Colliery. Since 2005, the southern section from Porth to Pontygwaith is now the A4223 Porth and Lower Rhondda Fach Relief Road (Porth Bypass). The upper section including the section passing Pontygwaith has become a branch of the Taff Trail cycleway.

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Pontypridd
Coordinates: 51°36′09″N 3°20′32″W / 51.60252°N 3.34215°W / 51.60252; -3.34215
Pontypridd /pɒntəˈpriːð/ is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. Pontypridd is often abbreviated "Ponty" by local residents.
Pontypridd comprises the electoral wards of Cilfynydd, Glyncoch, Graig, Graigwen, Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan (Rhydfelen), Trallwng (Trallwn) and Treforest (Trefforest).
The town sits at the junction of the Rhondda and Taff / Cynon valleys, where the River Rhondda flows into the Taff immediately south of the town at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. The community of Pontypridd is the second largest in Wales, just behind Barry. Pontypridd community had a population of 29,781 according to census figures gathered in 2001. while Pontypridd town itself was recorded as having a population of 2,919 also as of 2001.
The town lies alongside the dual carriageway north-south A470, between Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil. The A4054 running north and south of the town was the former main road, and like the A470, follows the Taff Valley. South of the town is the A473, for Llantrisant and Pencoed. To the west is the A4058, which follows the River Rhondda to Porth and the Rhondda Valley beyond.

wn.com/Pontypridd
Quebec
Coordinates: 53°45′N 071°59′W / 53.75°N 71.983°W / 53.75; -71.983 (Quebec)
Quebec /kwəˈbɛk/ or /kəˈbɛk/ (French: Québec [kebɛk] ( listen)) is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level.
Quebec is Canada's largest province by area and its second-largest administrative division; only the territory of Nunavut is larger. It is bordered to the west by the province of Ontario, James Bay and Hudson Bay, to the north by Hudson Strait and Ungava Bay, to the east by the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador and New Brunswick. It is bordered on the south by the US states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. It also shares maritime borders with Nunavut, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia.
Quebec is Canada's second most populous province, after Ontario. Most inhabitants live in urban areas near the Saint Lawrence River between Montreal and Quebec City, the capital. English-speaking communities and English-language institutions are concentrated in the west of the island of Montreal but are also significantly present in the Outaouais, Eastern Townships, and Gaspé regions. The Nord-du-Québec region, occupying the northern half of the province, is sparsely populated and inhabited primarily by Aboriginal peoples.

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Rhigos
Rhigos is a village in the north of the Cynon Valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. For postal purposes it comes under the town of Aberdare, although it is some 7 miles (11 km) from Aberdare town centre.
The village lies just off the old Aberdare road that was the main link between Aberdare and Glyn Neath before the A465 road was extended.
The town centre of Glyn Neath is 2 miles (3.2 km) away. Rhigos lies at the apex of the Cynon Valley and the Vale of Neath.
The hamlets of Cefn Rhigos and Cwm-Hwnt lie to the west of the main village.
There is one shop located in the village, which is a newsagent. There are also two pubs located within Rhigos: "The Plough" and "The New Inn". There is a small school, Rhigos Primary, built in the Victorian style in 1876. Prior to the building of the school classes were held in rooms provided by R Crawshay esq, first mentioned in the journals of William Roberts (Nefyed) in 1856. He states how the school was funded by the colliers and miners of Rhigos who each contributed 1d of each pound of their wages to support a master whose salary was £40.

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Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈr̥ɔnða ˈkənɔn ˈtaːv]), or RCT, is a county borough in the South Wales Valleys of Wales. It consists of 3 valleys: the Rhondda Valley, Cynon Valley and Taff-Ely Valley. Results from the 2001 census showed 21.1% of its 233,700 residents were able to speak, read, write or understand the Welsh language.
The county borough borders Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly to the east, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to the south, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot to the west and Powys to the north. Its principal towns are - Aberdare, Llantrisant with Talbot Green and Pontypridd, with other key settlements/towns being - Ferndale, Hirwaun, Llanharan, Mountain Ash, Porth, Tonypandy, Tonyrefail and Treorchy. Rhondda Cynon Taf is the second-most populous local authority area in Wales.
See List of places in Rhondda Cynon Taf for a list of towns and villages. The most populous town in Rhondda Cynon Taf is Aberdare (Welsh: Aberdâr) with a population of 31,705 (2001 Census), followed by Pontypridd with 29,781.

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River Cynon
The River Cynon (Welsh: Afon Cynon) is a river in South Wales and is one of the larger tributaries of the River Taff.
It arises within Cwm Cadlan in the Brecon Beacons National Park as the Nant Cadlan and is supplemented by a number of small streams arising from springs in the Carboniferous Limestone and Twrch Sandstone in the vicinity of Penderyn. The spring of Llygad Cynon is a notable example. However the young river soon crosses into the Carboniferous Coal Measures as it passes through Hirwaun. It is crossed by the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road near what was until 2008 the last working deep mine in Wales, Tower Colliery. The remainder of the valley is strongly marked by the signs of past industrialisation including colliery waste tips, the relics of a large smokeless fuel plant at Abercwmboi which includes the remnants of a tip that burned out of control for many years. The river passes in a south easterly direction through Aberdare, Mountain Ash, Penrhiwceiber before eventually meeting up with the River Taff at Abercynon.

wn.com/River_Cynon
River Ely
The River Ely (Welsh: Afon Elai) is a river in South Wales flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail to the capital city of Cardiff.
The river is about 24 miles, or 39 kilometres, long. Its source lies in the mountains to the south of Tonypandy, near the town of Tonyrefail. The river's numerous sources rise in the eastern slopes of Mynydd Penygraig (Penygraig) and Mynydd y Gilfach (Penrhiwfer), and the western slopes of Mynydd Dinas (Williamstown), whose eastern slopes feed the Rhondda by Porth. The source of the Ogwr Fach lies just to the west.
The Ely flows through Tonyrefail, and then through the grounds of the Royal Glamorgan Hospital at Ynysmaerdy, following the main A4119 (Tonypandy to Cardiff Bay route through the valley pass formed between Mynydd Garthmaetwg (Llantrisant Forest), to the west and Llantrisant, to the east. Flowing through Talbot Green, the Ely is joined by the Afon Clun at Pontyclun, before heading east to Miskin. Although numerous smaller streams join the river, the Clun is its only large tributary.

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River Rhondda
The River Rhondda (Welsh: Afon Rhondda) is a river in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales which has two major tributaries; the Rhondda Fawr (English: Large Rhondda) and the Rhondda Fach (English: Little Rhondda).
The river has two major tributaries: the Rhondda Fawr and the Rhondda Fach (respectively, the "big" and "little" Rhondda). Despite these names, both tributaries are of similar length. Both river valleys are typically U-shaped glaciated valleys in carboniferous sandstone and coal measures. The whole form of the river and its surrounding urbanisation has been dominated by coal mining and the communities that grew up to exploit the rich coal seams. Much of the valley has suffered severe subsidence because of the removal of coal from beneath the valley floor. The houses and streets have subsided with the result that river levels are, in parts , higher than the surrounding houses. In order to contain the river and prevent flooding, walls have been built, sometimes across the ends of streets - these are known as The Rhondda walls.

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River Taff
The River Taff (Welsh: Afon Taf) is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan (Little Taff) and the Taf Fawr (Big Taff) — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil. The river supports a number of migratory fish, including salmon, sea trout, and eel.
From its confluence at Cefn-Coed-y-Cymer, the river flows south, passing several towns. It picks up a few tributaries, such as the River Cynon, River Rhondda, Bargoed Taf and Nant Clydach. It flows underneath the M4 Motorway, before turning southeastward and flowing through the Cardiff suburbs of Radyr, Whitchurch, Llandaff, Pontcanna, the city centre and Grangetown, before emptying into Cardiff Bay, near to the mouth of the River Ely.
In the early 1840s the South Wales Railway was trying to find a suitable site for a railway station, but the area that is now Cardiff Central railway station was prone to flooding. At this point the main route of the Taff was around Cardiff Castle and down what is now Westgate Street, with the lands where Cardiff Arms Park and the Millennium Stadium are now sited tidal flats which were prone to flood.

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Swansea
Swansea ( /ˈswɒnzi/ SWONZ-ee; Welsh: Abertawe [abɛrˈtauɛ], "mouth of the Tawe") is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands. Swansea had a population of 169,880 in 2001 and is the second most populous city in Wales after Cardiff and the third most populous county in Wales after Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taf. During its 19th century industrial heyday, Swansea was one of the key centres of the world copper industry, earning the nickname 'Copperopolis'.
Archaeological finds are mostly confined to the Gower Peninsula, and include items from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age. The Romans reached the area, as did the Vikings.
Swansea is thought to have originally developed as a Viking trading post. Some think that its name is derived from Sveinn's island (Old Norse: Sveinsey) – the reference to an island may refer to a bank at the mouth of the river Tawe, or perhaps an area of raised ground in marshes. An alternative explanation is that the name derives from the Norse name 'Sweyn' and 'ey', which can mean inlet. The name is pronounced Swans-y /ˈswɒnzi/), not Swan-sea. The Welsh name first appears in Welsh poems at the beginning of the 13th century, as "Aber Tawy".

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Talbot Green
Coordinates: 51°32′14″N 3°23′05″W / 51.5372°N 3.3847°W / 51.5372; -3.3847
Talbot Green (Tonysguboriau or Tanysguboriau in Welsh) is a village just north of the M4 motorway, in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales in the United Kingdom. The village is part of Llantrisant Community Council.

Talbot Green is located at the mouth of the short and mountainous Ely Valley, between Mynydd Garthmaelwg (Llantrisant forest) and Y Graig (Llantrisant). The River Ely runs through along the village boundary before continuing to Pontyclun, running along side the Warehouses of Capper and Co ltd, who run a portion of the SPAR UK retail chain. The Village is bordered by the hill town of Llantrisant to the east, the Village of Pontyclun to the South and Llanharan a few miles to the West.
The area has good links to the rest of Wales with the A4119 linking it in the south to the M4 Motorway, and to the north to the South Wales Valleys. The Talbot Green by-pass opened in 1991 to relieve traffic in the village through disabling access to or from Pontyclun via Cowbridge Road, and provided a shorter route for the A473 Bridgend to Pontypridd Road. In September 2010, a £90m by-pass linking Talbot Green to Pontypridd was opened. The by-pass is notable for its three dormouse bridges, built to protect the endanged animals.

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Ton Pentre
Coordinates: 51°38′46″N 3°29′12″W / 51.6461°N 3.4868°W / 51.6461; -3.4868
Ton Pentre is a village in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Ton Pentre, a former industrial coal mining village, is a district of the community of Pentre. The old district of Ystradyfodwg was named after the church at Ton Pentre. Ton Pentre is, perhaps, best known for an incident in 1924, when The Duke of York (later George VI of the United Kingdom) played a round of golf with Frank Hodges.
One of the earliest recorded settlements in Ton Pentre is an Iron Age hillfort located at Maindy Camp. Although initially believed to have been from the Bronze Age period, the camp was misidentified due to items from a Bronze Age cairn that were found inside the camp perimeter.
The area on which Ton Pentre now stands was originally the site of a cluster of platform houses or hafodi; small farming buildings, occupied only during the summer months. The site was later settled by a farm and a few cottages, known as 'Y Ton' ('meadow') the site was owned by absentee landlord Crawshay Bailey. To distinguish the area from nearby Tonypandy, it became known as Ton Pentre.

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Tonteg
Coordinates: 51°34′04″N 3°18′29″W / 51.5679°N 3.3080°W / 51.5679; -3.3080
Tonteg is a village around three and a half miles (6 km) from Pontypridd, south Wales. It is 9 miles (14.5 km) north west of Cardiff and four miles (6.5 km) north east of Llantrisant. The village is within the community of Llantwit Fardre. Tonteg is to the north west of the Garth Mountain, on the west side of the River Taff valley, at the top of a hill known locally as Powerstation Hill. The hill gets its name from the Upper Boat power station which was situated at the bottom of the hill until it was demolished in 1972. Tonteg is next to Church Village and the boundaries between the two villages are blurred. A significant part of the Treforest Industrial Estate falls within the Willowford area of Tonteg.
The village has a fairly well preserved 12th century motte castle with an intact moat called Tomen-Y-Clawdd. To locals this fort situated in Ffordd Gerdinan is known as the Monkey Tump.
Tonteg Hospital exists in the north of the village, now surrounded by housing estates. It was originally an isolation hospital treating contagious diseases. Now days it provides mental health care and other services. No emergency services are provided.

wn.com/Tonteg
Tonyrefail
Coordinates: 51°35′02″N 3°25′50″W / 51.583973°N 3.430554°W / 51.583973; -3.430554
Tonyrefail is a village and community in Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of Llantrisant at the head of the Ely Valley, south of the Rhondda, being around 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Trebanog and around 2 miles (3.2 km) from Williamstown. It is also around 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from the village of Gilfach Goch. Historically Tonyrefail was the site of a rural hamlet, it evolved into an industrial village during the second half of the 19th century, when coal and steel became synonymous with the South Wales Valleys. It now has a population of 11,035.
Early records show Tonyrefail to be a dairy farming and livestock raising area, and many early farmhouses still exist in some form today. This was in stark contrast to the nearby valleys, that were forced to adopt arable and sheep farming activities due to their hilly geography. Early industrialisation began in the late 18th century around a corn mill and woollen factory, but it wasn't until deep coal mining began that employment grew on a large scale. At its peak Coedely Colliery employed nearly 1,800 men which not only changed the face of Tonyrefail, but also created the establishment of nearby colliery settlements such as Coedely, Thomastown and Bryngolau.

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Trealaw
Coordinates: 51°37′25″N 3°27′04″W / 51.623600°N 3.451086°W / 51.623600; -3.451086
Trealaw is the longest village in the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Trealaw stretches over two miles from the junction of Cemetery Road and Brithweunydd Road in the east, to the junction of Ynyscynon Road and Partridge Road to the northwest.

Trealaw is a dormitory town of the more famous Tonypandy, its name translates from the Welsh language as 'the Town of Alaw', which derives from Alaw Goch or Alaw Coch (red melody), the bardic name of David (Dafydd) Williams (d. 1863) the father of Judge Gwilym Williams (1839–1906), who founded the village (along with that of Williamstown, a village to the south of Trealaw) during the 'coal-rush' of the 19th century. Judge Williams is also commemorated in Trealaw by Judges Hall (in full, the Judge Gwilym Williams Memorial Hall) and in Ynyscynon Road, named after the Williams' family seat at Ynyscynon, near Aberdare in the Cynon Valley. Judges Hall is a community venue used in its heyday for Variety performances, boxing tournaments and snooker. Today it is used for Bingo and youth activities.

wn.com/Trealaw
Trebanog
Coordinates: 51°36′04″N 3°25′23″W / 51.601°N 3.423°W / 51.601; -3.423
Trebanog is a village lying on the southernmost outskirts of the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, located off the A4233 road between Porth the unofficial capital of the Rhondda, and the town of Tonyrefail which is at the head of the Ely Valley. Trebanog is an outlying district of the community of Cymmer, which itself is a district of the town of Porth, it is neighboured by the settlement of Edmondstown (a district of Penygraig) and it is located within the historic county of Glamorgan.

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Trecynon
Trecynon is a village near Aberdare situated in the Cynon Valley, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Trecynon is home to Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel the oldest Nonconformist chapel in the Cynon Valley. Hen Dy Cwrdd Chapel was founded in 1751 and rebuilt in 1862. No services are held at the chapel nowadays, but the building remains as a protected Grade II listed building.
The most prominent local attraction and landmark is Aberdare Park, a popular public Victorian era park which was opened in 1869 on a 50-acre (200,000 m²) site.
The Aberdare College campus site of Coleg Morgannwg is situated within the northern part of the village, on Cwmdare Road.
Aberdare Boys' Grammar School was opened in Trecynon in 1896 (at the time called the 'Aberdare Intermediate School'). The school relocated to Cwmdare Road in 1964, ceased to be a grammar school in 1978, when it became the new Aberdare Boys' Comprehensive School (now Aberdare High School.
Comin Infant school and Comin Junior School are located within the village. Both school sites are physically connected.

wn.com/Trecynon
Treforest
Coordinates: 51°35′16″N 3°19′20″W / 51.5878°N 3.3221°W / 51.5878; -3.3221
Treforest (Welsh: Trefforest) is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales situated in the Treforest electoral ward along with the village of Glyntaff (or Glyn-Taf), being part of the Pontypridd Community. With Treforest running along the west banks of the River Taff (Welsh: Afon Taf) while Glyntaff runs along its east banks.
Treforest extends from immediately south east of Ynysangharad Park where the A4058 link from the A470 joins the A473 Broadway (south of the adjoining wards of Graig and Trallwn), all the way to join the Tonteg ward in the south (part of the community of Llantwit Fardre).
The village is historically connected with the Crawshay family who established a major tinplate works in 1835. Treforest is now known for its association with the University of Glamorgan, originally established as The School of Mines at Treforest in 1913.
The confusingly named Treforest Industrial Estate is not part of Treforest or its electoral ward, most of which is not even within Pontypridd. Instead this falls partly within the area of Upper Boat (Pontypridd), but mostly within the Willowford area of Ton-Teg (Llantwit Fardre) and Nantgarw (Taffs Well ward)

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Trehafod
Coordinates: 51°36′35″N 3°22′52″W / 51.6096°N 3.3811°W / 51.6096; -3.3811
Trehafod is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley between Porth and Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, although in administrative terms is split between the electoral division of Cymmer (Rhondda) to the West and Rhondda (Pontypridd) to the East. A former coal mining area, the village is now best known as the site of the Rhondda Heritage Park, a tourist attraction reflecting industrial life of coal mining Rhondda.
The 1847 tithe map of the area shows a number of farms on the area that was to become Trehafod, these were named, Hafod Uchaf, Hafod Ganol and Hafod Fawr. It was from these farms that Trehafod was to take its name. Hafod is a Welsh word that can mean "summer dwelling" or "upland farm".
Trehafod railway station lies on the Rhondda Line which follows the River Rhondda; the railway line and river border the village on either side.
Trehafod is now most famous for the Rhondda Heritage Park which was once the Lewis Merthyr colliery, at the peak time for coal mining production, one of the most productive collieries in the South Wales Coalfield.

wn.com/Trehafod
Treherbert
Coordinates: 51°40′20″N 3°31′50″W / 51.6722°N 3.5306°W / 51.6722; -3.5306
Treherbert is a village and community situated at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Treherbert is a former industrial coal mining village which was at its economic peak between 1850 and 1920. Treherbert is the upper most community of the Rhondda Fawr and encompasses the districts of Blaencwm, Blaenrhondda, Tynewydd and Pen-yr-englyn.
There is evidence of settlements in the Rhondda dating back to Celtic times, but prior to the Industrial Revolution and the advent of coal mining the villages of Treherbert, Tynewydd, Blaenrhondda and Blaencwm consisted of a number of isolated rural farms and scattered homesteads. In 1841 there were only 218 people residing in the 'Middle hamlet of Treherbert', which had risen to 1,203 by 1861.
In August 1845, the trustees of the Marquess of Bute bought the Cwmsaebren farm from William Davies for a fee of £11,000 to sink the first steam coal pit in the Rhondda valley. A trial pit was sunk from 1850, but progress was slow due to the fact that all equipment was carried over rough tracks by horse and cart from the Taff Vale Railway's then terminus at Dinas. In April 1853 the first seam of what was called the Bute Merthyr Colliery was struck at a depth of 125 yards, and production was begun in early 1855.

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Tylorstown
Coordinates: 51°38′58″N 3°26′22″W / 51.6494°N 3.4395°W / 51.6494; -3.4395
Tylorstown (Welsh: Pendyrus) is a village and community located in the Rhondda valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was founded by Alfred Tylor who set up an early coal mining operation in the location in the mid-19th century.
The last working mine in the village closed in the 1960s setting off a long period of economic decline which worsened following the 1984-1985 national miners' strike which resulted in pits in nearby locations such as Maerdy closing. The local passenger train line closed in the 1960s following the Beeching Axe which also limited the prospects of easy commuting to Cardiff.
It is neighboured by the villages of Blaenllechau, Ferndale and Stanleytown.
The Tylorstown, originally known as "City where fires begin and whores thrive" electoral ward is a typical small ex-mining village in the Rhondda Fach valley located near the end of time itself. The Porth relief road terminates at neighbouring Tylorstown.

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Tynewydd
Coordinates: 51°40′19″N 3°32′26″W / 51.672049°N 3.540678°W / 51.672049; -3.540678
Tynewydd is a village located in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales. With Treherbert, Blaencwm, Blaenrhondda and Pen-yr-englyn it is part of a community of Treherbert. The village lies in the former industrial coal mining area at the head of Rhondda Fawr, the larger of the Rhondda Valleys.
It is believed that the village was named after 'Tynewydd' (built 1652) a longhouse in nearby Blaenrhondda. The area was sparsely populated before the 18th century, but after the successful mining of the South Wales coalfield the area experienced a population boom in the late 19th century. In 1865 Ebenezer Lewis, the owner of the Bwllfa Dare Colliery in Aberdare, purchased the lease of mineral property at Tynewydd on the east side of the River Rhondda. An old level on the hillside was reopened and a shaft was sunk to exploit the lower levels. This mine was named Tynewydd Colliery (not to be confused with Tynewydd Colliery in nearby Porth, site of an 1877 disaster) and in 1868 ownership was transferred to Rhondda Merthyr Colliery Company for £50,000. The mine remained profitable until 1879 when a geological fault affected production. In 1887 the mine was purchased by Messrs L and H Gueret, and efficient production was re-established. Despite producing 100,000 tons of coal in 1910 by 1911 it had closed.

wn.com/Tynewydd
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK, or Britain) is a sovereign state located off the north-western coast of continental Europe. The country includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that shares a land border with another sovereign state—the Republic of Ireland. Apart from this land border the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the Irish Sea.
The United Kingdom is a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system, with its seat of government in the capital city of London. It is a country in its own right and consists of four countries: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are three devolved administrations, each with varying powers, based in Belfast, Edinburgh and Cardiff, the capitals of Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. Associated with the UK, but not constitutionally part of it, are three Crown Dependencies. The United Kingdom has fourteen overseas territories. These are remnants of the British Empire which, at its height in 1922, encompassed almost a quarter of the world's land surface and was the largest empire in history. British influence can still be observed in the language, culture and legal systems of many of its former territories.

wn.com/United_Kingdom
Wales
Wales ⁱ/ˈweɪlz/ (Welsh: Cymru;Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.rɨ] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain,bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km² (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,200 km (750 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands; the largest, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), is also the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia (Eryri), which contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit.
During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. A distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations today. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was recognised as King of Wales in 1057. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales. The castles and town walls erected to ensure its permanence are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales, in the early 15th century. Wales was subsequently annexed by England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 since when, excluding those matters now devolved to Wales, English law has been the legal system of Wales and England. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and The Welsh Language Society in 1962. The National Assembly for Wales, created in 1999 following a referendum, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters.

wn.com/Wales
Wattstown
Coordinates: 51°38′03″N 3°25′11″W / 51.634101°N 3.419632°W / 51.634101; -3.419632
Wattstown (Welsh: Aberllechau) is a village located in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Located in the Rhondda Fach valley it is a district of the community of Ynyshir. Prior to mid 19th century industrialisation the area was once little more than a wooded area, sparsely populated by farmsteads. With the coming of the coal industry Wattstown became a busy, densely populated village, but with the closure of the collieries Wattstown suffered an economic downturn that still affects the village today.
Wattstown is named after Edmund Hannay Watts, who at one time owned the National Colliery in Wattstown.
The earliest evidence of human activity around what would become Wattstown is found on the hillside at Carn Y Wiwer, overlooking the village; a small grouping of Bronze Age cairns are present and in the same vicinity are the remains of five platform houses; rudimentary, Medieval seasonal farm houses. During the Napoleonic Wars the land around Carn Y Wiwer was cultiviated by farmers to produce additional crops. Prior to industrialisation, the area that would become Wattstown was known as Pont Rhyd Y Cwch or Pont-Y-Cwtch.

wn.com/Wattstown
Y Pant School
Coordinates: 51°31′52″N 3°23′02″W / 51.531°N 3.384°W / 51.531; -3.384
Y Pant School (Welsh: Ysgol Y Pant) is an English medium 11–18 mixed comprehensive school in the village of Pontyclun near Llantrisant, maintained by the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, serving the areas of Pontyclun, Talbot Green, Llantrisant and Llanharry, in Wales.
Since the original school being built there have been two main buildings added, the sports hall and the "new block", built in 2006.^{[clarification needed]} The school was given best state school in Wales 2003 by a leading newspaper.^{[citation needed]} The school has also produced above (average) grade results.^{[citation needed]}
On the 17th December 2009; it was confirmed that Alice Thompson had had the highest mark ever in Wales at A-Level Welsh (2nd Language). Link; http://www.ypant.co.uk/news/0910/autumn09/alice_thompson.htm
In October 2011 Y Pant School was inspected under the new ESTYN frame work and was judged to be an 'Excellent' school in terms of its current performance, prospects for improvement, standards, pupil outcomes, teaching and leadership.

wn.com/Y_Pant_School
Ynyshir
Coordinates: 51°37′22″N 3°24′35″W / 51.622844°N 3.409818°W / 51.622844; -3.409818
Ynyshir (Welsh: Ynys-hir), meaning "Long Island" in English, is a village and a community located in the Rhondda Valley, within Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. The village takes its name from a farm in the area, falling within the historic parishes of Ystradyfodwg and Llanwynno (Llanwonno). The community of Ynyshir also comprises the small adjoining village of Wattstown. Neighbouring communities are Porth and Tylorstown.
Ynyshir has its own library, post office, doctor's surgery and a number of shops and other significant amenities, although these represent a fraction of the businesses which once fronted the main road - Ynyshir Road during the village's heyday. It is also home to local football teams Ynyshir Albions and Ynyshir and Wattstown Boys Club. In 2009 the new modern £5.5 million Ynyshir Community Primary School located on Llanwonno Road was opened, this was to replace the previous Ynyshir Junior School and later in 2010 also replaced the old Ynyshir Infants School off Gynor Place.

wn.com/Ynyshir
Ynysmaerdy
Ynysmaerdy is a village in Talbot Green, near Llantrisant in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is home to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital.
Coordinates: 51°33′04″N 3°23′45″W / 51.55111°N 3.39583°W / 51.55111; -3.39583

wn.com/Ynysmaerdy
Ynysybwl
Coordinates: 51°38′24″N 3°22′03″W / 51.640°N 3.3675°W / 51.640; -3.3675
Ynysybwl (Welsh: Ynys-y-bŵl [ənɪsəˈbʊl]) is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly 20 miles (32 km) north-north-west of Cardiff, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Pontypridd and 10 miles (16 km) south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-cwm.
Cwm Clydach is flanked by the Rhondda and Cynon Valleys. The market town of Pontypridd lies to the south at the meeting point of the three valleys and to the north lies the expansive Llanwynno forestry. Before the local-government reforms of 1996 Ynysybwl was in the Cynon Valley district of Morgannwg Ganol, and the area is historically a part of Glamorgan (Morgannwg).
The name of the village (Ynys-y-bŵl in its Welsh-language spelling) is a compound of the words ynys, meaning "water-meadow", and bŵl, a loan-word from English meaning "bowl": a reference to the shape of the valley at this point. Locally, the village is often referred to as just "Bwl" or "The Bwl".

wn.com/Ynysybwl
Ystrad Rhondda
Coordinates: 51°38′34″N 3°27′14″W / 51.642827°N 3.453853°W / 51.642827; -3.453853
Ystrad (also known as Ystrad Rhondda or Ystrad-Rhondda) is a community and village in the Rhondda Fawr valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community and ward Ystrad contains the neighbouring district of Gelli. Ystrad is a former coal mining village which was once housed the most profitable collieries belonging to the Cory brothers.^{[citation needed]}
Ystrad is long and narrow, linear, in character - a main road where most amenities can be found, and a series of smaller residential streets lined with the terraces associated with the area. The majority of housing stock is the classic South Wales valleys terrace with infills of new build.^{[citation needed]}
The Rhondda Fawr River runs through the village, separating it from Gelli on the southern bank.
Like most former coal mining communities in the South Wales Coalfield, Ystrad is remarkably self-contained. There is a very strong community in Ystrad Rhondda - a common feature of these mining towns. The Ystrad Rhondda railway station is on the Rhondda Line.

wn.com/Ystrad_Rhondda
Ystradyfodwg
Ystradyfodwg (Vale of Tyfodwg) was an ancient upland parish in Glamorganshire, Wales. It is believed to have been named after Tyfodwg (or Dyfodwg) who was either a 7th century saint or chieftain.
It included most of the valleys of the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach rivers. Initially a sparsely populated wild area of upland sheep-walks, it became in the mid 19th century a dynamic centre of the coal mining industry, with a large, new industrial population.
The parish was large, with an area of 10127 Hectares, but had only 542 inhabitants in 1801. It stretched from the confluence of the Rhondda rivers at Porth, over the mountain as far as the Vale of Neath. It was divided into four townships or hamlet (place)s: Home (between the rivers), Clydach (south of the Rhondda Fawr), Middle (the upper part of the valley) and Rhigos (north of the mountains).
During the 19th century, the population of the parish increased as follows:
Lower-quality coal from the Upper Coal series was worked in a small way in Trealaw as early as 1807, but the development of the Rhondda steam coal gave rise to the rapid population growth. The development began with the start-up of the Bute Merthyr colliery in Treherbert in 1855. In the Rhondda Fach, the first coal was mined in 1862 at Ferndale. The Taff Vale Railway reached Treherbert in 1856. Collieries then rapidly developed along the valley, with the lower part of the valley developing last because of the deeper pits required to find the steam coal in that area. By the end of the century, mining villages formed an almost continuous urban strip along both valley floors, with coal mining and its ancillary trades virtually the sole industry.

wn.com/Ystradyfodwg

Alun Lewis
Alun Lewis (1 July 1915 - 5 March 1944), was a poet of the Anglo-Welsh school, and is regarded by many as Britain's finest Second World War poet.
He was born at Cwmaman, near Aberdare in one of the South Wales Valleys, the Cynon Valley, in the South Wales Coalfield. His father was a school teacher and he had a younger sister, Mair. By the time he attended Cowbridge Grammar School, he was already interested in writing. He went on to the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth and the University of Manchester, Manchester. He was unsuccessful as a journalist and instead earned his living as a supply teacher.
Lewis met the poet Lynette Roberts, whose poem "Llanybri" is an invitation to him to visit her home; but she was married to another poet, Keidrych Rhys. In 1939, Lewis met Gweno Ellis, a teacher, whom he married in 1941. In 1941, he collaborated with artists John Petts and Brenda Chamberlain on the "Caseg broadsheets". Although best known as a poet, his first published work was a volume of short stories, The Last Inspection (1942). In his poem Raider's Dawn Lewis makes a biblical reference to Peter and Paul.

wn.com/Alun_Lewis
Bethan Jenkins
Bethan Jenkins AM (born 9 December 1981), is a Welsh politician, born in Aberdare, Wales, who has represented the South Wales West Region for Plaid Cymru as a Member of the National Assembly for Wales since 2007. Since 2012 she has been Plaid's spokesperson for Heritage, Welsh language and Sport.
Bethan Jenkins grew up in the Welsh town of Merthyr Tydfil where her parents were involved in the Anti-Apartheid Movement of the 1980s and early 1990s.
Her brother is the Channel 4 News reporter Ciaran Jenkins.
She is a former pupil of Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen, near Pontypridd. Her father is the poet Mike Jenkins, a previous winner of the John Tripp award. As well as being politically active, she enjoys music. Bethan was in the National Youth Orchestra of Wales for three years, and the Welsh language folk/pop band Gilespi. She has also been an outspoken Republican and along side her Plaid Cymru colleague, Leanne Wood, are members of the group Republic, along with Welsh Labour AM John Griffiths . Bethan also enjoys sport, and was a lifeguard for many years. She now lives in Rhos, Pontardawe.

wn.com/Bethan_Jenkins
Griffith Rhys Jones
Griffith Rhys Jones, or Caradog as he was commonly known (21 December 1834 – 4 December 1897), was a Welsh conductor of the famous 'Côr Mawr' of some 460 voices (the South Wales Choral Union), which twice won first prize at The Crystal Palace choral competitions in London in 1872 and 1873.
Griffith Rhys Jones was born in Trecynon, near Aberdare. He worked as a blacksmith at the Aberdare Ironworks in the village of Llwydcoed.
He was buried at Aberdare Cemetery, near Trecynon.
In 1920 a statue designed by Sir William Goscombe John was erected in his honour in Victoria Square, Aberdare.

wn.com/Griffith_Rhys_Jones
Ioan Gruffudd
Ioan Gruffudd (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈjo.an ˈɡrɪfɪð] ( listen); born 6 October 1973) is a Welsh actor.
Having trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic (1997), and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down (2001). However, he is probably best known for playing the role of Horatio Hornblower in Hornblower, the British made-for-TV films (1998–2003) based on C. S. Forester's novels.
Gruffudd's other film roles include Lancelot in King Arthur (2004), Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) in Fantastic Four (2005) and the sequel Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), and British anti-slavery abolitionist William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace (2006). He played Tony Blair in W. (2008). He played the role of Andrew Martin in the US thriller television series, Ringer until the show's cancellation in 2012.
Gruffudd was born on 6 October 1973 in Llwydcoed, near Aberdare, Cynon Valley, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Tâf, south Wales. Gruffudd's parents, Peter and Gillian (née James) Griffiths, were both teachers. His father was headmaster at two Welsh comprehensive schools in South Wales, first at Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari then later at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen. He has two siblings; a brother, Alun, who is two years younger, and a sister, Siwan, who is seven years younger than he is. Gruffudd was raised in a Protestant non-conformist household.

wn.com/Ioan_Gruffudd
Jo Walton
Jo Walton (born December 1, 1964 in Aberdare, Wales) is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha'penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award. Her novel Lifelode won the 2010 Mythopoeic Award. Her novel Among Others won the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel.
Walton was born in Aberdare, in the Cynon Valley of Wales. She went to Park School in Aberdare, then Aberdare Girls’ Grammar School. She lived for a year in Cardiff and went to Howell's School Llandaff, then finished her education at Oswestry School in Shropshire, and at the University of Lancaster. She lived in London for two years, lived in Lancaster until 1997, then moved to Swansea, where she lived until moving to Canada in 2002.
Walton speaks Welsh, saying "it's the second language of my family of origin, my grandmother was a well known Welsh scholar and translator, I studied it in school from five to sixteen, I have a ten year old's fluency on grammar and vocab but no problem whatsoever with pronunciation".

wn.com/Jo_Walton
Kelly Jones
Kelly Jones (born 3 June 1974) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and guitarist and the lead singer of the band Stereophonics. Influenced by classic rock bands such as The Who, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC and the Sex Pistols, Jones is noted for his strong, gravelly voice, which has been described as "whisky". As a lyricist, Jones is influenced by Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Otis Redding.
Jones lived in the village of Cwmaman, near Aberdare, where he became friends with neighbours, Stuart Cable and Richard Jones and they formed a covers band together. Showing a talent for writing in his youth, he considered being a scriptwriter before being a musician and studied film at college. The BBC showed an interest in some of his early work but, as the band progressed from a cover band to writing their original material, he decided to use his narrative side more towards writing lyrics. Jones also flirted with the idea of boxing as a career and was a successful boxer at youth level. Much of his early life is documented in the Stereophonics debut album, including his account of his teen years on a market stall. These are documented in More Life in a Tramps Vest from the Stereophonics first album released in 1997, Word Gets Around.

wn.com/Kelly_Jones
Mihangel Morgan
Mihangel Morgan (born Michael Finch on 7 December 1955 in Trecynon, near Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Welsh author.
He changed his named from Michael Finch to Mihangel Morgan in his early twenties, taking his mother's maiden name. His work often reflects Welsh academia and the crisis of Welsh culture and many actual figures are easily recognised in some of his works. References to key moments in Welsh literature speckle his work e.g. Dan Gadarn Goncrit is a reference to the 'Artist in Philistia' theme from a political Welsh poem about Saunders Lewis. Born in the village of Trecynon, near Aberdare in South Wales, he currently lectures in 20th century Welsh literature working for the Welsh Department at Aberystwyth University.
He is considered to be "one of Wales's leading Welsh language novelists"
He lives near the small village of Tal-y-bont, Ceredigion.

wn.com/Mihangel_Morgan
Rhian Samuel
Rhian Samuel, born in Aberdare, Wales in 1944, is a Welsh composer.
She was educated in Britain and the United States, and joined the teaching staff of City University, London in 1995 becoming Professor of Music in 1999. Previously, she taught in the University of Reading (Head of Department, 1993–1995) and the St Louis Conservatory, St Louis, USA.
She has composed over 80 published works and her music has been performed in many countries. She has written chamber, vocal, choral, and orchestral music spanning from Elegy-Symphony (St Louis Symphony Orchestra (1981) to TIrluniau/Landscapes (BBC commission, BBCNOW, Proms 2000); in 1983 she won the ASCAP/Rudolf Nissim Prize for La Belle Dame sans Merci. She has also written about music; as co-editor of the New Grove (Norton) Dictionary of Women Composers, she has been at the forefront of issues concerning gender and music. She also writes on the operas of Harrison Birtwistle, having been commissioned by the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, to write programme essays on both Gawain and The Minotaur. Her most recent CD, Light and Water, is issued on the Deux-Elles label. In 2006 she was awarded the Glyndŵr Award for an Outstanding Contribution to the Arts in Wales.

wn.com/Rhian_Samuel
Rhys ap Tewdwr
Rhys ap Tewdwr (before 1065 – 1093) was a Prince of Deheubarth in south-west Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great. He was born in the area which is now Carmarthenshire and died at the battle of Brecon in April 1093.
Rhys ap Tewdwr claimed the throne of Deheubarth following the death of his second cousin Rhys ab Owain in battle against Caradog ap Gruffydd in 1078.
He was a grandson of Cadell ab Einion ab Owain ab Hywel Dda, and a great-grandson of Einon ab Owain ap Hywel Dda, who fell in 984. He married Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of the Mathrafal dynasty of Powys, by whom he had four sons, Gruffudd, Hywel ap Rhys, Goronwy and Cadwgan, and a daughter Nest (who married Gerald de Windsor Constable of Pembroke, progenitors of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland. These celebrated Hiberno-Norman, or Cambro-Norman, families have been Peers of Ireland since at least the 14th century.
The English variant of Tewdwr is Tudor. Henry Tudor, King of England, descended patrilineally from the rulers of the south Welsh principality of Deheubarth.

wn.com/Rhys_ap_Tewdwr
Stuart Cable
Stuart Cable (19 May 1970 – 7 June 2010) was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.
Cable was born in Aberdare on 19 May 1970. When he was 10, his father died. Thereafter, Cable and his elder brother, Paul, were raised by their mother Mabel (born 1930) on her own. Cable grew up in the close-knit village of Cwmaman near Aberdare, He attended Blaengwawr Comprehensive School with his friend, Stereophonics singer-songwriter and guitarist Kelly Jones, who also lived on the same street.
Together with Kelly Jones' school friend Richard Jones, the trio began playing covers in working men's clubs from 1992, under the title Tragic Love Company. The band later changed their name to The Stereophonics in 1996. He also played a number of notable gigs in his native Wales. Of particular note were the 12 June 1998 concert at Cardiff Castle and the 31 July 1999 concert at the Morfa Stadium in Swansea, the latter shortly before the stadium was demolished. Both concerts were filmed live and released on VHS and DVD.

wn.com/Stuart_Cable
World War I
World War I (WWI), which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939 (World War II), and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918. It involved all the world's great powers, which were assembled in two opposing alliances: the Allies (based on the Triple Entente of the United Kingdom, France and Russia) and the Central Powers (originally centred around the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy; but, as Austria–Hungary had taken the offensive against the agreement, Italy did not enter into the war). These alliances both reorganised (Italy fought for the Allies), and expanded as more nations entered the war. Ultimately more than 70 million military personnel, including 60 million Europeans, were mobilised in one of the largest wars in history. More than 9 million combatants were killed, largely because of enormous increases in lethality of weapons, thanks to new technology, without corresponding improvements in protection or mobility. It was the sixth-deadliest conflict in world history, subsequently paving the way for various political changes such as revolutions in the nations involved.

wn.com/World_War_I

A walk through the old Aberdare to Merthyr railway tunnel

Everything you wanted to know about that spooky old tunnel (but were afraid to see for you...

published: 10 Sep 2011

author: AintBigAintClever

Jerry O'neill - Chappers and Doz Remix Feat Aberdare People

This song was written by Pilot Fish 10 years ago and re-recorded and remixed by Chappers a...

published: 27 Apr 2011

author: ExtremeWales

Maerdy Aberdare Mountain Flatout turbo rover derr uhh

From Maerdy to aberdare in 4 and a half minutes...

published: 10 Oct 2009

author: fullskull69

Only Boys Aloud rehearsal in Aberdare Rugby Club

Join the Merthyr and Aberdare members of Only Boys Aloud rehearsing at Aberdare Rugby Club...

published: 18 Jun 2010

author: LoveTheValleys

Hunka Junk @ Judges Aberdare

For those of you wanting to see me playing Bongos, I don't feature in the vid until 2.30! ...

published: 11 Nov 2009

author: Owenthesheppard

Wedding DVD - Ty Newydd, Aberdare

Wedding DVD - Ty Newydd, Aberdare...

published: 08 Feb 2011

author: WeddingDVDWales

I'M FROM ABERDARE MAAAN!!!.wmv

...

published: 23 Nov 2009

author: ceri haggett

Aberdare Park 2011

600 Heat 2 on Saturday chaos!!...

published: 14 Jul 2011

author: heirpin

Aberdare Bus Depo Mafia

Aberdare Crew....

published: 12 Dec 2011

author: Jess2Laugh

Illegal tree felling at Llwydcoed, Aberdare by Vertase FLI and Bellway homes

We told the contractors repeatedly that there were nests in the trees, and were told by th...

published: 24 Apr 2012

author: Apple Discord

old aberdare

compalation of old pictures of aberdare...

published: 23 Jan 2009

author: jaynmutt

ABERDARE PARK DH

FINAL DECENT INTO ABERDARE PARK S/WALES....

published: 05 Mar 2012

author: TheSTELLA27

Car crashes into Subway Aberdare South Wales

Different angles of the crash November 29th 2012...

published: 30 Nov 2012

author: TinyTracey

Aberdare Golf Club - Video Tour

Aberdare Golf Club - Video Tour. Founded in 1921, this parkland course at Abernant, which ...

published: 16 Mar 2011

author: TheGolfFather1

aberdare

published: 07 Nov 2007

author: Will

Aberdare

published: 18 Nov 2008

author: Will

Only Aberdare Boys Aloud

An introduction to Only Aberdare Boys Aloud...

published: 11 Feb 2011

author: Only Men Aloud

Aberdare Park

An exploration of Aberdare Park in South Wales looking at the abundant variety of trees an...

published: 18 Dec 2008

author: Tantrwm Limited

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photo: UN / Shareef Sarhan

File- A view of the outer perimeter of Palestine Stadium, severely damaged by Israeli air strikes in Gaza City earlier this week, 19 November, 2012.

The End of Jewish Power

WorldNews.com

02 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Guest Writer Gilad Atzmon. Israel suffered a humiliating defeat at The UN recently. The nations of the world stood up and said NO to the Jewish state - NO to Israeli occupation, NO to Israeli human rights abuse, NO to Jewish racism. In effect, they stood up and confessed to serious Zio-fatigue ... This is a very good news indeed. But interestingly, this united opposition to Israel is not in response to Israeli strength ... ....(size: 2.6Kb)

photo: AP / Bassem Tellawi

A Syrian man reads a newspaper covering Barack Obama's victory in the U.S. Presidential election as he stands in front of a picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus, Syria, Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008. In Syria, a nation isolated by the Bush administration in the last few years, the people and political analysts were hopeful Obama would work for peace in the Mideast and improve America's image and his win proved the failure of Bush's policies. Relations with Washington have started to improve recently but plummeted after a U.S. commando raid across the Iraq border into Syria killed eight people last m

Obama warns Syria against using chemical weapons

The Guardian

04 Dec 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) â President Barack Obama warned Syria on Monday that the use of chemical weapons would be "totally unacceptable" and that the country's leaders would be held accountable ... Obama stopped short of detailing those consequences....(size: 6.7Kb)

photo: AP / Anja Niedringhaus

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at the Human Rights Council at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland

Israel settlement bid a 'fatal blow' to peace

New Straits/Business Times

03 Dec 2012

UNITED NATIONS. UN leader Ban Ki-moon warned Sunday that if Israel implemented its latest plan for new settlements it would deal an “almost fatal blow” to any prospects for peace with the Palestinians.   Israel’s announcement about the 3,000 Jewish settler homes, whose planned location was not revealed, came in the wake of a historic vote by the United Nations General Assembly to upgrade Palestine’s diplomatic status ... ....(size: 4.2Kb)

photo: AP / Patrick Semansky

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, center, steps out of a security vehicle as he is escorted into a courthouse in Fort Meade, Md., Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012, for a pretrial hearing.

Pfc. Manning: From Bloody Eagle to Bloody Cage

WorldNews.com

02 Dec 2012

Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. Much like the United States, the Vikings were a paradoxical and duplicitous civilization. Not only were they highly skilled shipbuilders and tremendous explorers, not to mention their expertise in the fishing, farming and trading industries, but they helped establish and contribute to the nation-states of France, England, Ireland, Germany, Russia, and Iceland ... This came to mind when Pfc....(size: 5.5Kb)

photo: AP / Sang Tan, File

FILE - In this Sept. 1, 2010, file photo, Hamadoun Toure, chief of the U.N.'s telecommunication agency talks to Associated Press in London.

Clashes over Internet rules to mark Dubai meeting

The News Tribune

03 Dec 2012

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A major U.S. delegation is in Dubai to lead opposition to possible new Internet regulations at a U.N. conference ... and Microsoft Corp. ....(size: 0.9Kb)

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Get Set For Santa Run (Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council)

noodls

03 Dec 2012

Posted on Monday 3rd December 2012. The Santa Run takes place at the Dare Valley Country Park, Aberdare, on Sunday, December 9. The annual Santa Run takes place at the Dare Valley Country Park, Aberdare, on Sunday, December 9 - and people of all ages are being urged to enjoy all the festive fun! ... Entry to the Santa Run is £5 (adults) and £10 (families)....(size: 2.4Kb)

David Gulden's 'The Centre Cannot Hold' takes rare look at nature

The Los Angeles Times

02 Dec 2012

"The Centre Cannot Hold," the title of David Gulden's first book of wildlife photographs, is borrowed from William Butler Yeats' poem "The Second Coming," an ominous vision of a society headed toward self-destruction ... One example. a mother leopard napping in a bed of leaves and brush with a seemingly satisfactory smirk ... Gulden's favorite stamping ground is Aberdare National Park, noted for its diverse terrain ... MORE ... 0.  . Comments (0)....(size: 32.5Kb)

BMW 4x4 ploughs into front of Subway shop in South Wales

The Daily Mail

30 Nov 2012

One woman was taken to ......(size: 0.1Kb)

Remploy Leeds Demo (GMB - Britain's General Union)

noodls

30 Nov 2012

Thursday 29th November 2012. SACKED REMPLOY WORKERS TO DEMONSTRATE TOMORROW 30TH NOVEMBER OUTSIDE LEEDS REMPLOY FACTORY ON ITS LAST DAY ... FROM 11.00 AM ... MANOR MILL LANE ... Aberdare, Abertillery, Acton, Ashington, Barking, Birkenhead, Bolton, Cleator Moor, Gateshead, Lanarkshire, London (Haringay), Manchester, Merthyr Tydfill, Newcastle, Oldham, Penzance, Pontefract, Preston, Southampton, Spennymoor, Swansea, Wigan, Worksop and Wrexham ... End....(size: 4.6Kb)

Subway shop crash: One hurt as car crashes through window

BBC News

29 Nov 2012

A woman has been injured after a car crashed through a sandwich shop window in Aberdare ... ....(size: 0.5Kb)

Hadron Collider physicist Lyn Evans calls for science graduates

BBC News

29 Nov 2012

The physicist leading experiments at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) says Wales needs more science graduates. Speaking at an exhibition in Cardiff Bay, Dr Lyn Evans praised a plan by the Welsh government to attract the finest scientific minds to Welsh universities ... Aberdare-born Dr Evans is the head of the LHC in Geneva where scientists this year made a breakthrough in the hunt for an elusive particle ... He added ... ....(size: 2.9Kb)

A Certified Path to Environmental Progress

The New York Times

28 Nov 2012

The Rainforest Alliance was a pioneer in testing the idea that businesses can prosper by adhering to transparent and science-based environmental standards for the products they grow or make ... “We have been shown that if we work the land and our resources correctly then we can make money and live healthily and well,” says Charles Gachao, a smallholder tea farmer in Kenya’s Aberdare Mountains, who’s worked with us since 2007 ... Search ... News....(size: 13.1Kb)

Large Hadron Collider: Atom-smasher recreated in Cardiff

BBC News

27 Nov 2012

Visitors will get the chance to walk through a full-size replica of a section of the world's biggest "atom-smasher" at an exhibition in Cardiff. Welsh scientists involved in experiments with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will also be on hand ... Dr Lyn Evans, the Aberdare-born head of the Hadron Collider project, is due to address VIPs later this week. Continue reading the main story âStart Quote ... ....(size: 2.8Kb)

VITAL SIGNS: What flies can teach us about repairing the future

Business Day

23 Nov 2012

Cape Town-based visionary and âgreen businessâ serial entrepreneur Jason Drew travels the world creating entities that will sustain natural resources, such as our dwindling fish supplies. His latest venture involves fly farming, turning waste into larvae, and a protein-rich, natural animal feed ... What happened? ... Exactly ... The other, Sir George Usher, started International Combustion that also owned Aberdare Cable here in SA ... Why? ... No ... ....(size: 13.4Kb)

Park & Dare centenary celebrations (Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council)

noodls

20 Nov 2012

Posted on Tuesday 20th November 2012. A host of stars raised the roof in a packed show to mark the centenary of one of the finest entertainment venues in the South Wales Valleys - Treorchy's Park & Dare Theatre ... Geoff Cripps, Artistic Director, RCT Theatres, said ... Park & Dare Theatre is run by Rhondda Cynon Taf Council's Cultural Services, along with the Muni Arts Centre in Pontypridd and the Coliseum Theatre in Aberdare. distributed by....(size: 3.5Kb)

Youth Achievement Awards Success (Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council)

noodls

20 Nov 2012

Posted on Tuesday 20th November 2012 ... Held before 500 people at The Coliseum, Aberdare, amongst the audience were the Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Cllr Eudine Hanagan, Doctor Howard Williamson (Professor of European Youth Policy), Jenna Claridge (Rhondda Cynon Taf Youth Mayor), Ryan Heeger (editor of ClicOnline) and Louise Cook (Head of Services for Young People) ... distributed by ... (noodl....(size: 7.9Kb)

Have Your Say On Budget Consultation (Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council)

noodls

15 Nov 2012

Posted on Thursday 15th November 2012 ... The events are at. Asda, Tonypandy, Monday December 10th from 10am to 1pm Hawthorn Leisure Centre, Monday December 10th from 3pm to 7pm Michael Sobell Sports Centre, Aberdare, Tuesday December 11th from 3pm to 7pm Asda, Aberdare, Wednesday December 12th from 10am to 1pm Cooperative, Tonyrefail, Thursday December 13th from 10am to 1pm Rhondda Sports Centre, Thursday December 13th from 3pm to 7pm....(size: 3.7Kb)

Marc Lloyd Williams' column

BBC News

15 Nov 2012

You've got to hand it to the FA of Wales (FAW), they are trying different ways of doing things with the Welsh Cup draw ... The draw itself didn't throw up too many obstacles for the Welsh Premier League's (WPL) top clubs with holders The New Saints having home advantage to former WPL side Conwy Borough of the Cymru Alliance, whereas Bangor City will host McWhirter Division One side Aberdare Town. Continue reading the main story ... print. ....(size: 6.9Kb)

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For other uses, see Aberdare (disambiguation).

Coordinates: 51°42′47″N 3°26′42″W / 51.713°N 3.445°W / 51.713; -3.445

Aberdare
Welsh: Aberdâr

Aberdare Aberdare shown within Rhondda Cynon Taf
Population	31,705
OS grid reference	SO005025
Principal area	Rhondda Cynon Taf
Ceremonial county	Mid Glamorgan
Country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	ABERDARE
Postcode district	CF44
Dialling code	01685
Police	South Wales
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
EU Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Cynon Valley
Welsh Assembly	Cynon Valley
List of places: UK • Wales • Rhondda Cynon Taf

Aberdare (Welsh: Aberdâr) is an industrial town in Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. The population at the 2001 census was 31,705 (ranked 13th largest in Wales).^[1] Aberdare is 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Merthyr Tydfil, 24 miles (39 km) north west of Cardiff and 22 miles (35 km) north east of Swansea.

1 History
- 1.1 The coal industry
2 Culture
3 Churches and chapels
4 Sports
5 Transport
6 Schools and colleges
7 Notable people
8 Twin cities/towns
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

History [link]

From being, at the beginning of the 19th century, a mere village in an agricultural district, the place grew rapidly in population owing to the abundance of its coal and iron ore, and the population of the whole parish (which was only 1,486 in 1801) increased tenfold during the first half of the 19th century.^[2] It has since declined, owing to the loss of most of the heavy industry.

Ironworks were established at Llwydcoed and Abernant in 1799 and 1800 respectively, followed by others at Gadlys and Aberaman in 1827 and 1847. These have not been worked since about 1875. After this, the iron industry was represented only by a small tinplate works, but by this stage the economy of the town was dominated by the coal mining industry. There were also several brickworks and breweries. During the latter half of the 19th century, considerable public improvements were made to the town, which became, despite its neighbouring collieries, a pleasant place to live. Its institutions included a post-graduate theological college (opened in connection with the Church of England in 1892, until 1907, when it was removed to Llandaff).^[2]

Aberdare in the 1910s

Aberdare, with the ecclesiastical parishes of St Fagan's (Trecynon) and Aberaman carved out of the ancient parish, had twelve Anglican churches, one Roman Catholic church (built in 1866 in Monk Street near the site of a cell attached to Penrhys monastery) and at one time had over fifty Nonconformist chapels. The services in the majority of the chapels were in the Welsh language. The urban district includes what were once the separate villages of Aberaman, Abernant, Cwmaman, Cwmbach, Cwmdare, Llwydcoed, Penywaun and Trecynon. There are several cairns and the remains of a circular British encampment on the mountain between Aberdare and Merthyr. Hirwaun moor, 4 miles to the north west of Aberdare, was according to tradition the scene of a battle at which Rhys ap Tewdwr, prince of Dyfed, was defeated by the allied forces of the Norman Robert Fitzhamon and Iestyn ap Gwrgant, the last Welsh prince of Glamorgan.^[2]

The coal industry [link]

Aberdare Co-operative store fire, May 11th 1919

In the early years of Aberdare's development, most of the coal worked in the parish was coking coal, and was consumed locally, chiefly in the ironworks.^[2] In 1836, exploitation of the "Four-foot Seam" of high-calorific value steam coal began, and pits were sunk in rapid succession. This coal was valuable for steam railways and steam ships, and an export trade began, via the Taff Vale Railway and the port of Cardiff. The population of the parish rose from 6,471 in 1841 to 14,999 in 1851 and 32,299 in 1861 and John Davies^[3] described it as "the most dynamic place in Wales". In 1851, the Admiralty decided to use Welsh steam coal in ships of the Royal Navy, and this decision boosted the reputation of Aberdare's product and launched a huge international export market.^[4] Coal mined in Aberdare parish rose from 177,000 long tons (180,000 t) in 1844 to 477,000 long tons (485,000 t) in 1850,^[5] and the coal trade, which after 1875 was the chief support of the town, soon reached huge dimensions. Steam coal was subsequently found in the Rhondda and further west, but many of the great companies of the Welsh coal industry's Gilded Age started operation in Aberdare and the lower Cynon Valley, including those of Samuel Thomas, David Davies and Sons, Nixon's Navigation and Powell Duffryn.^[4] In common with the rest of the South Wales coalfield, Aberdare's coal industry commenced a long decline after World War I, and the last two deep mines still in operation in the 1960s were the small Aberaman and Fforchaman collieries, which closed in 1962 and 1965 respectively.

On May 11, 1919, an extensive fire broke out on Cardiff Street, Aberdare.

Culture [link]

Caradog statue in Victoria Square

Aberdare, during its boom years, was considered a centre of Welsh culture: it hosted the first National Eisteddfod in 1861, again in 1885, and in 1956 at Aberdare Park where the Gorsedd standing stones still exist.

The Coliseum Theatre is Aberdare's main arts venue, containing a 600-seat auditorium and cinema. It is situated in nearby Trecynon and was built in 1938 using miners' subscriptions.

Aberdare was the birthplace of the Second World War poet Alun Lewis, and a plaque commemorating him is to be found, including a quotation from his poem, The Mountain over Aberdare.

The original founding members of the rock band Stereophonics originated from the nearby village of Cwmaman. It is also the hometown of guitarist Mark Parry of Vancouver rock band The Manvils. Famed anarchist-punk band Crass played their last live show for striking miners in Aberdare during the UK miners' strike (1984-1985).

Griffith Rhys Jones - or Caradog as he was commonly known - was the Conductor of the famous 'Côr Mawr' of some 460 voices (the South Wales Choral Union), which twice won first prize at Crystal Palace choral competitions in London in the 1870s. He is depicted in the town's most prominent statue by sculptor Goscombe John, unveiled on Victoria Square in 1920.

Churches and chapels [link]

‎ St Elvan's church

In the town centre is St Elvan's Church. This is a Church in Wales church at the heart of the Parish of Aberdare. The church is over 200 years old and has had extensive work since its erection in the 1800s. The church also has a modern electrical, two-manual and pedal board pipe organ^[6], that is still used in services. The nearby St John the Baptist Church of the same parish is also notable as a 15th century building that is still used for regular services. Also of the same parish is St. Matthew's Church, Abernant.

St John the Baptist Church

In the Parish of Aberaman and Cwmaman is St. Margaret's Church, with an old, but beautiful, pipe organ with two manuals and a pedal board. Also in this parish is St. Joseph's church, Cwmaman. St. Joseph's has recently undergone much recreational work, almost converting the church into a community centre. However, regular church services still take place. Here, there is a two-manual and pedal board electric organ, with speakers at the front and sides of the church. In the Parish of Aberdare St Fagan, three churches serve the communities of Trecynon, Cwmdare and Llwydcoed - St Fagans, St Luke's and St James's respectively.

There were many chapels in the area, most of which from the non-conformist era of Welsh religion; however, few of these are still used, and many have been converted or demolished. Notable perhaps are Saron Chapel and Siloa Chapel.

Saron, located in Davis Street, Aberaman, was used for regular services by a small group of members until 2011, however, for many years, these were held in a small side-room, and not the chapel itself. The chapel has a large vestry comprising rows of two-way-facing wooden benches and a stage, with a side entrance onto Beddoe Street and back entrance to Lewis Street. Although the building is not in good repair, the interior of the chapel, including pulpit and balcony seating area (back & sides), are in good order. In February 1999, Saron was made a Grade II Listed Building.^[7]

Siloa has recently been 're-established' as a Welsh language chapel.

Highland Place Unitarian Church celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2010,^[8] with a number of lectures on its history and the history of Unitarianism in Wales taking place there. The church has a two-manual pipe organ with pedal board that is used to accompany most services. The connected schoolroom is used for post-service meetings and socialising.

Sports [link]

Aberdare Carnival

Aberdare Athletic F.C. were members of the Football League between 1921 and 1927 before being replaced by Torquay United after finishing bottom. The senior club folded a year later. They played their football league games at the Aberdare Athletic Ground and were known as the Darians.^{[citation needed]} The reserve team carried on as Aberaman and Aberdare Athletic for one more season but are now known as just Aberaman Athletic F.C. They play in the Welsh League Division One at Aberaman Park.

Aberdare Rugby Football Club are a rugby union team formed in 1890 which still play in Aberdare today at the Ynys Stadium.

The Aberdare Athletic Ground was also the venue of the first ever rugby league international played between Wales and the New Zealand All Golds on New Years Day 1908, which was won by the Welsh 9-8.

Coleg Morgannwg

Secondary schools [link]

Notable people [link]

See also Category:People from Aberdare

Notable current and former residents and natives of Aberdare include:

Henry Austin Bruce - 1st Baron Aberdare & Home Secretary (1868–1873)
Stereophonics - All 3 original members, Kelly Jones, Richard Jones and Stuart Cable where all brought up in Cwmaman, Aberdare
Steph Davies-cricketer
Lyn Evans - particle physicist and project leader of the Large Hadron Collider, the largest science experiment in the world.
Ioan Gruffudd - Actor born in Llwydcoed, Aberdare
Patrick Hannan (presenter) - Welsh broadcaster
Bethan Jenkins - Member of the National Assembly for Wales for the South Wales (West) Region
John Morgan - A Canadian comedian best known for his roles on Royal Canadian Air Farce.
Mihangel Morgan - a leading Welsh language writer, born in Trecynon, some of his literary works feature Aberdare
Roy Noble - popular Welsh broadcaster has lived near Aberdare for the past thirty years
Rhian Samuel - composer and professor of music
Jo Walton - fantasy novelist, now living in Montreal, Quebec
David Young - Rugby player and Cardiff Blues' coach raised in Penywaun. Lions tourist and former Wales' captain.

Twin cities/towns [link]

- Montelimar, France
- Slagelse, Denmark
- Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

References [link]

^ "Settlements". Office for National Statistics.. clickonwales.org. p. 1. http://www.clickonwales.org/wp-content/uploads/4_Factfile_Settlements.pdf. Retrieved 8 January 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Aberdare". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
^ Davies, John, A History of Wales, Penguin, 1994, ISBN 0-14-014581-8, p 400
^ ^a ^b Davies, op cit, p 400
^ Davies, op cit, p 384
^ "Glamorgan (Glamorgan, Mid), Aberdare, St. Elvan, Church Street, Victoria Square". The British Institute of Organ Studies2005. National Pipe Organ Register. 2005. http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=P00388. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
^ http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/wa-21368-saron-independent-chapel-aberaman
^ http://www.ukunitarians.org.uk/aberdare/history.htm

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Aberdare

v t e Rhondda Cynon Taf

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council

Principal settlements^{[verification needed]}	Aberdare Ferndale Llantrisant Mountain Ash Pontypridd Porth Tonypandy

Towns and villages	Aberaman Abercwmboi Abercynon Abernant Beddau Blaenllechau Blaencwm Blaenclydach Blaenrhondda Brynna Brynsadler Castellau Church Village Cilfynydd Clydach Vale Coed-Ely Cwmaman Cwmbach Cwmdare Cwmparc Cymmer Dinas Rhondda Efail Isaf Fernhill Glyncoch Gelli Groes-faen Gilfach Goch Glenboi Glynfach Glyntaff Hawthorn Hirwaun Llanharan Llanharry Llwyncelyn Llwydcoed Llwynypia Maerdy Miskin Penderyn Penrhiwceiber Penrhiwfer Penrhys Pentre Penygraig Penywaun Pontyclun Pontygwaith Rhigos Stanleytown Talbot Green Trealaw Trebanog Trecynon Treforest Trehafod Treherbert Treorchy Tynewydd Tonyrefail Tonteg Ton Pentre Tylorstown Wattstown Williamstown Ynysybwl Ynyshir Ynysmaerdy Ystrad Rhondda

Education	Aberdare High School Aberdare Girls' School Blaengwawr Comprehensive School Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School Coleg Morgannwg Hawthorn High School Mountain Ash Comprehensive School Pontypridd High School St. John the Baptist School Treorchy Comprehensive School Treorchy Primary School University of Glamorgan Y Pant School Ysgol Gyfun Garth Olwg Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun Ysgol Gyfun Cymer Rhondda

Rivers	Afon Clun Afon Sychryd River Cynon River Ely River Rhondda River Taff

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Contents

History [link]

The coal industry [link]

Culture [link]

Churches and chapels [link]

Sports [link]

Transport [link]

Schools and colleges [link]

Colleges [link]

Primary schools [link]

Secondary schools [link]

Notable people [link]

Twin cities/towns [link]

See also [link]

References [link]

External links [link]

http://wn.com/Aberdare

Related pages:

http://ru.wn.com/Абердэр

http://fr.wn.com/Aberdare (pays de Galles)

http://nl.wn.com/Aberdare

http://pt.wn.com/Aberdare

http://de.wn.com/Aberdare

http://it.wn.com/Aberdare

http://pl.wn.com/Aberdare

http://id.wn.com/Aberdare

http://es.wn.com/Aberdare