Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a village and
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, t ...
located in the county borough of
Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Like the 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
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
.
Pontyclun translates from the
Welsh language
Welsh ( or ) is a Celtic language of the Brittonic subgroup that is native to the Welsh people. Welsh is spoken natively in Wales, by some in England, and in Y Wladfa (the Welsh colony in Chubut Province, Argentina). Historically, it h ...
as 'bridge
verthe
River Clun', the Clun being a
tributary
A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...
of the
River Ely
The River Ely ( cy, Afon Elái) is in South Wales flowing generally southeast, from Tonyrefail to Cardiff.
The river is about long. The Ely's numerous sources lie in the mountains to the south of Tonypandy, near the town of Tonyrefail ...
that runs through Pontyclun. A bridge crosses the
Afon Clun just above its confluence with the Ely.
The village is served by
Pontyclun railway station
, symbol_location = gb
, symbol = rail
, image = Pontyclun railway station - geograph.org.uk - 4145272.jpg
, caption = Pontyclun Railway Station, June 2014
, borough = Pontyclun, Rhon ...
on the
South Wales Main Line. It has its own local rugby club.
The village falls under the remit of Pontyclun Community Council, which represents the communities of
Brynsadler
Brynsadler is a small village situated in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, it is part of the community of Pontyclun.
Amenities
The A4222 main road to Cowbridge runs through the village; locally it is known tautologically as 'Brynsadler hill'.''Bryn'' ...
,
Castell y Mwnws,
Groes-faen,
Miskin,
Mwyndy, Pontyclun,
Talygarn, and Ynysddu
History
The influx of workers for the
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the ...
and
coal mining
Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
industries, and the coming of the
South Wales Railway in 1851, changed Pontyclun from a farm with just four to five households into a burgeoning
Victorian industrial town. The Coedcae Colliery (first listed in 1856) and the Bute iron ore mine (which opened in October 1852) caused the population growth. By 1871, the census returns record an influx of
Cornish miners who had suffered from the collapse of the copper mining industry in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
. By 1870 the industries of the area had been expanded by the coming of the Ely Tin Plate Works, The Pipe Works and The Steam Joinery Company.
Administration
The Community Council was formed in 1985 and consists of eleven elected Community Councillors who are all residents of the area. They act on behalf of local people to try and preserve the best aspects of the villages, while also encouraging and supporting developments that will benefit the whole community and ensure that it will continue to thrive. The Community Council monitors all local planning applications and, where appropriate, suggests amendments or submits written objections
Pontyclun
Electoral ward
Pont-y-clun was 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 ...
to
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 Gover ...
electing one county councillor from 1989 and 1993 elections, subsequently (from 1995) becoming a ward to
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council ( cy, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf) is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council headquarters are located in the community of Cwm Clydach ...
, electing two councillors.
Religion
Bethel Baptist Chapel was built circa 1876. Bethel relocated to Bethel Baptist Church Centre on Heol Miskin in 1993. Cwrt Bethel is on the site of the old chapel.
St Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
's church, Pontyclun was erected in 1895 as a district church within the Anglican parish of
Llantrisant
Llantrisant (; " Parish of the Three Saints") is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the town's name are ...
. In 1924, the new parish of Pontyclun and Talygarn was constituted from the parish of Llantrisant. Bethel Baptist Church, Hope Presbyterian Church and St Paul's Church are still active places of worship.
Schools & education
The village is served by
Y Pant School, a
secondary school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
with about 1,150 pupils, situated in the village of
Talbot Green. In 2000 it was ranked 49th in Wales in terms of its
GCSE
The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...
results (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A-C). Since then, exam results have improved dramatically and according to the latest inspection report from
Estyn, the school now has a pass rate of 72% which means it is in equal 19th place in Wales, or in the top 10%. It is also the best performing secondary school in
Rhondda Cynon Taf, just ahead of
St. John the Baptist School (Aberdare). The village also houses Pontyclun
Primary school
A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...
which achieved above average results in all foundation subjects in the most recent Estyn reports.
Sport
Pontyclun has both a football and rugby union team.
Pontyclun Football Club were formed in 1896 and joined the
Football Association of Wales
The Football Association of Wales (FAW; cy, Cymdeithas Bêl-droed Cymru) is the governing body of association football and futsal in Wales, and controls the Welsh national football team, its corresponding women's team, as well as the Welsh ...
in 1922.
Pontyclun Rugby Football Club (otherwise known as the Pontyclun Badgers), were formed in 1886 and joined the
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the governing body of rugby union in the country of Wales, recognised by the sport's international governing body, World Rugby.
The WRU is responsible for the running of rugby in Wales, o ...
in 1887. Pontyclun has produced at least one
Welsh international
The Welsh International is an international badminton championship held in Wales since 1928 and is thereby one of the oldest badminton tournaments in the world. The tournament was halted during World War II and until 1956, between 1960 and 1966, ...
,
Tommy Rees who later played
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 ...
for
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
, and
Oldham
Oldham is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, amid the Pennines and between the rivers Irk and Medlock, southeast of Rochdale and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham, w ...
. Pontyclun also has produced an International Footballer - Keith Pontin (Cardiff City and Wales). Pontyclun also has a Bowls Club established in 1932 as part of the Athletic Club in the heart of the village.
Pontyclun also has a number of other sports clubs including Pontyclun Flyers (Cycling) and Pontyclun Road Runners (Running)
Crown Brewery
The South Wales & Monmouth United Clubs Brewery Co. Ltd. purchased the small family
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
owned by D & T Davies in 1919. This Company had been formed to supply the expanding number of Workingmen's Clubs, which were having difficulties with supply of beer from the many local breweries throughout the area. The
Sunday Closing (Wales) Act of 1881 had fuelled the expanding number of clubs that did not have to close on Sunday, as was the case with
public house
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
s.
By 1936 the
brewery
A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of bee ...
was producing 500 barrels per week, which continued to increase to 900 in 1938. This growth was halted by the outbreak of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
in 1939 but when the war ended in 1945 the growth took off again. By 1954 the old brewery had been replaced by a completely new building that was big enough to produce the 1,200 barrels per week that the clubs demanded at that time. In 1984 Bob Smith was head brewer for the company and was only the fifth in the 65 years the company had been trading. In 1988 Crown merged with Wales' oldest brewery, Buckley's of
Llanelly
Llanelly ( cy, Llanelli) is the name of a parish and coterminous community in the principal area of Monmouthshire, within the historic boundaries of Brecknockshire, south-east Wales. It roughly covers the area of the Clydach Gorge. The popu ...
to form the Crown Buckley Brewery. In the spring of 1999, after 80 years of trading, the brewery closed following the takeover of the company by
Cardiff
Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a ...
based
Brains Brewery
Brains (S. A. Brain & Company Ltd.) is a regional brewery based in Cardiff, Wales. It was founded in 1882 by Samuel Arthur Brain. The company controls more than 250 pubs in South Wales (particularly in Cardiff), Mid Wales and the West Country. ...
.
External links
PontyclunPontyclunPontyclun RFCBethel Baptist ChurchPontyclun Community Councilwww.geograph.co.uk: photos of Pontyclun and surrounding area
References
{{authority control
Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf
Communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf