Mountain Ash ( cy, Aberpennar) is a town and former
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
in the
Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south of th ...
, within the County Borough of
Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vil ...
,
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
, with a population of 11,230 at the 2011 Census, estimated in 2019 at 11,339. It includes the districts and villages of
Cefnpennar,
Cwmpennar,
Caegarw,
Darranlas,
Fernhill,
Glenboi and
Newtown, all within the historic county boundaries of
Glamorgan
, HQ = Cardiff
, Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974)
, Origin=
, Code = GLA
, CodeName = Chapman code
, Replace =
* West Glamorgan
* Mid Glamorgan
* South Glamorgan
, Motto ...
.
Aberdare
Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...
lies about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) north-west,
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
19 miles (31 km) south-east, and
Penrhiwceiber
Penrhiwceiber is a small Welsh village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf that lies south of the town Aberpennar and north of the village of Tyntetown, and is one of many villages that lies within th ...
a mile to the south-east. It divides into two
communities
A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...
(civil parishes): West covers the town centre and the districts of
Miskin
Miskin ( cy, Meisgyn) is a village approximately south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
The origin of the village was a small hamlet (place), hamlet known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm. Miski ...
,
Darranlas, Fernhill and Glenboi, and East the districts of Cefnpennar, Cwmpennar, Caegarw and Newtown.
Etymology
Before the establishment of a village in the early 19th century the landscape was identified by a variety of
Welsh toponyms. The name Aberpennar ("Mouth of the river Pennar") is recorded as early as 1570 as ''Aber Pennarthe'', in 1600 as ''Aberpennarth'' and by 1638 as ''Tir Aber Penarth''. By the turn of the 18th century another toponym, Dyffryn (Valley or lowland between hills) seems to have gained prominence. While the Bruce family mansion was originally named ''Aberpennar'', the house is listed as ''Aberpennar alias Dyffryn'' by 1691 and ''Dyffrin alias Aberpennar'' in 1717, before taking the sole name ''Duffryn'' when it was rebuilt in the mid-18th century. Contemporary tithe maps even show that the early village is named ''Dyffryn'', despite the river mouth being in its immediate vicinity.
The town takes its English name from the ''Mountain Ash Inn'', which was opened around 1809 on the old Aberdare Road. Thomas Morgan states that the land owner, John Bruce Pryce leased this land to a man named David John Rhys, for the building of a public house. When Pryce asked Rhys for the name of the new building, Rhys noticed a lone ''"Cerdinen"'' (The Welsh name for a
mountain ash Mountain ash may refer to:
* ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia
* Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus''
See also
* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Mounta ...
tree, or rowan, common to the area) near by. Rhys then replied to Pryce, "We shall call this place Mountain Ash".
This Inn became a local landmark and was well known to English and Welsh speakers travelling through the area. By the 1830s, the name Mountain Ash was adopted as a name for the industrial village. Although, both Aberpennar and Duffryn had continued usage in various forms, notably for roads, canals, hotels, railways and collieries. As late as 1864, when the
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
opened the
town's new railway station, the name "Middle Duffryn" was originally chosen over Mountain Ash.
Writing in 1887, Morgan differentiates ''Aberpennar'' as the town's "ancient name" and ''Mountain Ash'' as its "present name". Other late 19th century writers such as
David Watkin Jones
David Watkin Jones, also known by his bardic name Dafydd Morganwg, was a Welsh poet, historian and geologist. He is remembered as the author of numerous works, especially ''Yr Ysgol Farddol'' (The Bardic School), considered by many later poets a ...
also used the name ''Mountain Ash'' even when writing exclusively in Welsh. William "Glanffrwd" Thomas explicitly states that the Welsh-speaking townsfolk do not use a Welsh name.
The issue of the town's Welsh name was resolved when the
National Eisteddfod
The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...
was held at the mansion's grounds in 1905. In the previous year, the Eisteddfod was announced in the ''Aberdare Leader'' with the publication of a ''
Penillion Telyn'' (lyrics for harp) by the poet
Watkin Wyn. In the piece, the poet called on the Welsh people to consider the area's ancient names and specifically called for Mountain Ash to be replaced with Aberpennar. Such was the popularity of the event and its competitors among the Welsh speaking population of the town, that the name Aberpennar was widely taken up by the town's majority Welsh-speaking population and finally, adopted as its official Welsh name.
History
Like the rest of the
Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south of th ...
, Mountain Ash continued to be predominantly
Welsh-speaking well into the 20th century. Unlike others in the South Wales valleys, the village was undisturbed until the construction of the
Aberdare Canal
The Aberdare Canal (Welsh: Camlas Aberdâr) was a canal in Glamorgan, Wales which ran from Aberdare to a junction with the Glamorganshire Canal at Abercynon. It opened in 1812, and served the iron and coal industries for almost 65 years. The ...
in 1818. This became disused in the early 1920s and was filled in as New Cardiff Road in 1933.
The population of 1,614 in 1841 rose to 11,463 in 1871 as local collieries opened. The 1851 census shows the construction of Duffryn Street and Navigation Street. By 1859 there were 12 public houses, among the earliest being the ''Bruce Arms'', the ''Junction Inn'' and the ''New Inn''. By 1920,
Kelly's Directory
Kelly's Directory (or more formally, the Kelly's, Post Office and Harrod & Co Directory) was a trade directory in England that listed all businesses and tradespeople in a particular city or town, as well as a general directory of postal addresses o ...
listed over 200 businesses in the village.
[
The coal industry began to decline after the ]First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, but after the Second
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...
, manufacturing was introduced to offset the serious fall in local employment. By the end of the 20th century the last mines had closed and so had many of the factories. The economic hardships were mitigated partly by new light industry and service activities.
Religion
Mountain Ash had numerous nonconformist chapels, of which only one Welsh-language chapel remains: Bethania (Independent). Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
(Calvinistic Methodist) closed, as did an Independent chapel at Bethel, Miskin
Bethel, Miskin was an Independent chapel in Glyngwyn Street, Miskin, near Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Mountain Ash, Glamorgan, Wales. Services at Bethel were conducted in the Welsh language.
Early history
The Church (building), church began i ...
.
Like other communities in the Cynon Valley, Mountain Ash was affected by the Religious Revival of 1904–1905. One event on a Friday evening in late January came when a procession paraded through the main streets before a revivalist meeting at Bethania Chapel addressed by the Rev. Penar Griffiths.
Governance
An electoral ward
A ward is a local authority area, typically used for electoral purposes. In some countries, wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to t ...
of Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to:
* ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia
* Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus''
See also
* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Mounta ...
was created, effective from the 2022 local elections, which combined the former wards of Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West. The ward elects two councillors to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.
Mountain Ash originally straddled the parishes of Aberdare
Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...
and Llanwonno
Llanwonno ( cy, Llanwynno) is a hamlet high up in the hills between the historic mining valleys of the Rhondda and the Cynon in Rhondda Cynon Taf, deep in the heart of the South Wales Valleys. Llanwonno consists of St Gwynno's Church and an inn ...
. An ecclesiastical parish for Mountain Ash was created in 1863 covering parts of those two civil parishes, with the recently built St Margaret's Church as the new parish church. A local government district
The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...
was established in 1867 to run the growing town, governed by the Mountain Ash Local Board. By 1894 the local government district had been enlarged to cover parts of the civil parishes of Aberdare, Llanwonno, and Llanfabon
Llanvabon (also known as Llanfabon) is an area and former parish in South Wales. As described in 1849, it comprised two hamlets, in the union of Merthyr Tydfil, hundred of Caerphilly, county of Glamorgan, 9 miles (S. S. E.) from Merthyr Tydfi ...
. Under the Local Government Act 1894
The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...
the local board was reconstituted as an urban district council
In England and Wales, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected urban district council (UDC), which shared local gove ...
, and at the same time the parish boundaries were adjusted so that the parish of Llanwonno matched the Mountain Ash Urban District
Mountain Ash Urban District was a local authority in Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley, Glamorgan, Wales. It was created in 1894 as a result of the 1894 Local Government of England and Wales Act. The council replaced the Mountain Ash Local Boar ...
. The council went on to build Mountain Ash Town Hall
Mountain Ash Town Hall ( cy, Neuadd y Dref Aberpennar) is a municipal structure in Ffrwd Crescent, Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Mountain Ash Urban District Council, is a Grade II listed ...
, completed in 1904, to serve as its offices and meeting place.
Mountain Ash Urban District was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...
. The area became part of the borough of Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. Cynon Valley lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash is in the south of th ...
within the new county of Mid Glamorgan
, Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council
, Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–)
, Start= 1974
, End= 1996
, Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...
. The area of the former urban district was made a community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
, later being subdivided in 1982 into four communities: Abercynon
Abercynon (), is both a village and a community (and electoral ward) in the Cynon Valley within the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community comprises the village and the districts of Carnetown and Grovers Field to the south, ...
, Penrhiwceiber
Penrhiwceiber is a small Welsh village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf that lies south of the town Aberpennar and north of the village of Tyntetown, and is one of many villages that lies within th ...
, Ynysybwl
Ynysybwl ( cy, Ynys-y-bŵl ) is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-west of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the communit ...
, and a smaller Mountain Ash community. The Mountain Ash community was further divided in 2017 into two communities called Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West. No community council exists for either of the Mountain Ash communities.
Cynon Valley Borough Council and Mid Glamorgan County Council
Mid Glamorgan County Council () was the upper-tier authority for the Welsh county of Mid Glamorgan between its creation in 1974 and its abolition in 1996.
History
Local government in England and Wales was reorganised in 1974 under the Local Govern ...
were both abolished in 1996, since when Mountain Ash has been governed by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.
Transport
The town is served by Mountain Ash railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Mountain Ash railway station - geograph.org.uk - 3882065.jpg
, borough = Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf
, country = Wales
, coordinate ...
on the Aberdare
Aberdare ( ; cy, Aberdâr) is a town in the Cynon Valley area of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, at the confluence of the Rivers Dare (Dâr) and Cynon. Aberdare has a population of 39,550 (mid-2017 estimate). Aberdare is south-west of Merthyr Tyd ...
branch of the Merthyr Line of the Transport for Wales Rail
Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Government-owned company. It commenced operations of t ...
network. The village of Fernhill and Penrhiwceiber
Penrhiwceiber is a small Welsh village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf that lies south of the town Aberpennar and north of the village of Tyntetown, and is one of many villages that lies within th ...
is also served by the Aberdare line. Bus services are operated by .
NCB Mountain Ash Railway
An early British railway line had developed from the industrial development within the South Wales Valleys, which with its core around Mountain Ash became known as the Mountain Ash Railway (MAR). Having developed from an early tramway, it became in the 1970s the last steam-hauled line in the UK. Developed by Powell Duffryn
Powell may refer to:
People
* Powell (surname)
* Powell (given name)
* Powell baronets, several baronetcies
*Colonel Powell (disambiguation), several military officers
*General Powell (disambiguation), several military leaders
* Governor Powell ...
as it consolidated various industrial assets, the railway started from Afon Cynon at the Penrikyber Colliery, headed north past a coal-stocking area at Pontcynon, then past an interchange yard known as Lansdale Yard, and through the former Nixon's Navigation colliery – home of the railway's central workshops, locomotive sheds and weighbridge – and on north past Duffryn Colliery, terminating at the Abercwmboi Phurnacite
A briquette (; also spelled briquet) is a compressed block of coal dust or other combustible biomass material (e.g. charcoal, sawdust, wood chips, peat, or paper) used for fuel and kindling to start a fire. The term derives from the French word ...
plant. The railway's main access to the UK rail network was at the Vale of Neath Railway
The Vale of Neath Railway (VoNR) was a broad gauge railway company, that built a line from Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare to Neath, in Wales, chiefly to transport the products of the Merthyr iron industries to ports on Swansea Bay.
The railway focus ...
's station at Mountain Ash (Cardiff Road) railway station, but it also had access to the competing, dominant Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway (TVR) was a standard gauge railway in South Wales, built by the Taff Vale Railway Company to serve the iron and coal industries around Merthyr Tydfil and to connect them with docks in Cardiff. It was opened in stag ...
.
Early locomotives were drawn from all major UK industrial locomotive makers, but like many industrial railways after World War Two, the operational fleet was based on a core of group of Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST
The Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST is a class of steam locomotive designed by Hunslet Engine Company for shunting. The class became the standard British shunting locomotive during the Second World War, and production continued until 1964 at vari ...
s. In 1959 the National Coal Board
The National Coal Board (NCB) was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the United Kingdom's collieries on "v ...
(NCB) acquired the ex-GWR Pannier Tank No. 7754. Although rather too heavy to work on the relatively light rail of the MAR, whose poor maintenance resulted in regular spreading of the rails, it became a favourite with MAR crews after a refit in the late 1960s. It eventually became the last British mainline-built operating steam locomotive in the UK, until 1975 after a cylinder-valve crack. The NCB were persuaded to donate the locomotive to National Museum Wales
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
, which has since loaned it indefinitely to the Llangollen Railway
The Llangollen Railway () is a volunteer-run heritage railway in Denbighshire, North Wales, which operates between Llangollen and Corwen. The standard gauge line, which is long, runs on part of the former Ruabon – Barmouth GWR route that c ...
. The MAR closed in the mid-1980s after the miners' strike
Miners' strikes are when miners conduct strike actions.
See also
* List of strikes
References
{{Reflist
Miners
A miner is a person who extracts ore, coal, chalk, clay, or other minerals from the earth through mining. There are tw ...
.
Education
Mountain Ash Comprehensive School
Mountain Ash Comprehensive School ( cy, Ysgol Gyfun Aberpennar), known as MACS, is a comprehensive school near the town of Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is a mixed-sex school with approximately 950 pupils, including about 90 in the s ...
caters for pupils aged 11–18, on the site of the former estate of Lord Aberdare
Baron Aberdare, of Duffryn in the County of Glamorgan, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 23 August 1873 for the Liberal politician Henry Bruce. He served as Home Secretary from 1868 to 1873. His grandson, the thi ...
. The main Dyffryn House was used by the school until its demolition in the 1990s. Opposite the site is the hospital, Cynon Valley Hospital
Ysbyty Cwm Cynon (English: Cynon Valley Hospital) is a health facility on New Road, Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is managed by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
History
The facility was commissioned to replace Aberdare ...
.
* Ysbyty Cwm Rhondda, Llwynypia
Llwynypia ( cy, Llwynypia ) is a village and community (and electoral ward) 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 betwee ...
*Ysbyty George Thomas
Ysbyty George Thomas (English: George Thomas Hospital) is a health facility on Cwmparc Road, Treorchy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is managed by the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board.
History
The facility was officially opened by the for ...
, Treorchy
Treorchy ( cy, Treorci; ) is a town and community (and electoral ward) in Wales. Once a mining town, it retains such characteristics. Situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Fawr valley. Treorchy is also one of the 16 c ...
, that replaced the Mountain Ash General Hospital in 2012.
Local primary schools include Our Lady's RC Primary School, Caegarw Primary School (Ysgol Gynradd Caegarw), Glenboi Primary School (Ysgol Gynradd Glen-boi), Darranlas Primary School (Ysgol Gynradd Darren-las), Miskin Primary School (Ysgol Gynradd Meisgyn), Pengeulan Primary School (Ysgol Gynradd Pengeulan) and Penrhiwceiber Primary School (Ysgol Gynradd Penrhiwceibr).
Sport and culture
Mountain Ash has a rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
team, Mountain Ash RFC
Mountain Ash RFC is a Welsh rugby union club from the town of Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley, South Wales. Mountain Ash RFC is a member of the Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the Cardiff Blues.
Early history
The team was founded ...
. The Rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
club South Wales Scorpions
The South Wales Scorpions, known as the South Wales Ironmen in 2017, were a semi-professional rugby league club based in South Wales. They played in the third tier of the British rugby league system (currently known as RFL League 1, League 1) be ...
played its home matches in Mountain Ash in the 2014-15 season.
Nos Galan road race
Nos Galan ( cy, Rasys Nos Galan) is an annual five-kilometre (3.1 mi) road running event, held on New Year's Eve in Mountain Ash, in the Cynon Valley of South Wales.
History
Nos Galan celebrates the life and achievements of Welsh runner Guto N ...
( cy, Rasys Enwog Nos Galan) is an annual road running
Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road. This differs from track and field on a regular track and cross country running over natural terrain.
These events are usually classified as long-distance ac ...
race, run on New Year's Eve (''Nos Galan'') to commemorate the first race of Guto Nyth Bran. Started in 1958, it now attracts 800+ runners and 10,000 people to the associated street entertainment.
The town also had an association football club, Tynte Rovers until it folded in 2019.
In 1974, Mountain Ash RFC Singers is a male-voice choir formed from a group of ex-players. Mountain Ash hosted the National Eisteddfod
The National Eisteddfod of Wales (Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competitors ...
in 1905 and 1946.
Mountain Ash served as inspiration for the fictional town of Aberowen in ''Fall of Giants
''Fall of Giants'' is a 2010 historical novel by Welsh author Ken Follett. It is the first part of the Century Trilogy which follows five interrelated families throughout the course of the 20th century. The first book covers notable events such ...
'' and the rest of the ''Century Trilogy'' written by Ken Follett
Kenneth Martin Follett, (born 5 June 1949) is a British author of thrillers and historical novels who has sold more than 160 million copies of his works.
Many of his books have achieved high ranking on best seller lists. For example, in the ...
. The town also appears in the Danny Wallace's 2005 memoir '' Yes Man''.
Notable people
:''See also :People from Mountain Ash, Wales''
*Mark Brake
Mark Brake (born 31 October 1958) is a Welsh author, broadcaster and former professor of science communication at the University of Glamorgan.
Education
Brake was born at Mountain Ash, Wales, UK. He was awarded a BSc by the University of Gl ...
(born 1958), author, broadcaster and communicator of science
*Guto Nyth Brân
Griffith Morgan (1700–1737), better known as Guto Nyth Brân (Guto being a diminutive of Griffith and ''Nyth Brân'' ( en, Crow's Nest) the name of his parents' farm near PorthDavies (2008), pg 570.), was an athlete. Many of Guto's running feats ...
(1700–1737), legendary Welsh athlete, once reputed to be the fastest man on earth
* Howard Collins (born 1949), karate instructor
* Pennar Davies (1911–1996), Congregational minister and author
* Brian Juliff (born 1952), dual-code rugby footballer
* Stuart Manley (born 1979), professional golfer
*Elaine Morgan
Elaine Morgan OBE, FRSL (7 November 1920 – 12 July 2013), was a Welsh writer for television and the author of several books on evolutionary anthropology. She advocated the aquatic ape hypothesis, which she advocated as a corrective to what ...
(1920–2013), BAFTA award-winning author
*Haydn Morris
Haydn Morris (14 July 1928 – 17 January 2021) was a Cardiff, and British and Irish Lions international rugby union wing three-quarter.
Career
Morris was born in Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and joined Cardiff from his home club Mountain ...
(born 1928), international rugby union wing three-quarter
*Harri Webb
Harri Webb (7 September 1920 – 31 December 1994) was a Welsh poet, Welsh nationalist, journalist and librarian.
Early life
Harri Webb was born on 7 September 1920 in Swansea, at 45 Tŷ Coch Road in Sketty, but before he was two the family m ...
(1920–1994), poet and librarian
* Richard "Dickie" Williams (1925–1997), rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
footballer
References
External links
www.geograph.co.uk: photos of Mountain Ash and surrounding area
Location grid
{{authority control
Towns in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Former communities of Rhondda Cynon Taf