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The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the
Taf Fechan The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with the R ...
(''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with the
River Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...
estuary An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environm ...
is in
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 ...
. The river supports several species of
migratory fish Fish migration is mass relocation by fish from one area or body of water to another. Many types of fish migrate on a regular basis, on time scales ranging from daily to annually or longer, and over distances ranging from a few metres to thousan ...
, including
salmon Salmon () is the common name for several commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the family Salmonidae, which are native to tributaries of the North Atlantic (genus ''Salmo'') and North Pacific (genus '' Oncorhy ...
,
sewin Sea trout is the common name usually applied to anadromous (sea-run) forms of brown trout (''Salmo trutta''), and is often referred to as ''Salmo trutta'' morpha ''trutta''. Other names for anadromous brown trout are sewin (Wales), peel or peal ...
(sea trout), and
eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 19 families, 111 genera, and about 800 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
.


Course

From its confluence at Cefn-coed-y-cymmer, the river flows south, passing several towns. It picks up a few tributaries, such as the
River Cynon The River Cynon ( cy, Afon Cynon) in South Wales is a main tributary of the Taff. Its source is the rising of Llygad Cynon (OS grid ref SN 95240 07740) at above sea level at Penderyn, Rhondda Cynon Taf and flows roughly southeast, into the Ta ...
, River Rhondda, Bargoed Taf and Nant Clydach. It flows through Pontypridd and through to
Taff's Well Taff's Well () is a semi-rural village, community and electoral ward located at the south easterly tip of Rhondda Cynon Taf, to the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Known locally as the 'Gates to the Valleys', it is separated from Gwa ...
, the site of Wales' only thermal spring. It flows underneath the M4 Motorway, before turning southeastward and flowing past the Cardiff suburbs of Radyr, Whitchurch,
Llandaff Llandaff (; cy, Llandaf ; from 'church' and ''River Taff, Taf'') is a district, Community (Wales), community and coterminous electoral ward in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It was incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of ...
, Pontcanna, the city centre and Grangetown, before emptying into Cardiff Bay, near to the mouth 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, ri ...
.


Taf Fawr

The Taf Fawr rises below the peak of
Corn Du Corn Du is a summit of the twin topped Pen y Fan and the second highest peak in South Wales at 873 m (2,864 ft), situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The summit itself is marked by a well structured Bronze Age cairn with a c ...
, south-west of
Pen y Fan Pen y Fan () is the highest peak in South Wales, situated in the Brecon Beacons National Park. At above sea-level, it is also the highest British peak south of Cadair Idris in Snowdonia. It is the highest point ( county top) of the historic c ...
and soon flows in a generally southerly direction through a steep-sided valley,Ordnance Survey, 1:25,000 map which was identified by Cardiff's Borough Engineer John Avery Brandon Williams as the best source of water for the town when he assessed all possible sources of water for the newly formed Cardiff Corporation Waterworks in 1881. A bill was presented to Parliament in November 1883, and despite serious opposition from riparian landowners, Royal Assent was obtained for the Cardiff Corporation Act 1884 on 7 August. It allowed the corporation to build three reservoirs. The catchment of the upper Taf Fawr was but it was split into an upper area of and a lower one of . Any works had to provide compensation water to maintain the flow in the Taf Fawr, and working on the upper area first meant that the Corporation only had to supply per day of compensation flow until work started on the lower area. Cantref Reservoir, the lower of the two in the upper area, was constructed first. Work began on 4 May 1886 and was completed on 14 September 1892. Construction of Beacons Reservoir, the highest in the chain, began shortly afterwards, in April 1893, in advance of the Corporation obtaining a second
Act of Parliament Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
to increase the capacity of the reservoir and to move the dam further upstream, where the foundations would be better, in the light of geological investigation. Impounding of the water began on 17 September 1897. Construction of Llwyn-on Reservoir, the third in the chain, did not start until 1911, and again, its capacity was increased by an Act obtained in 1909 to , almost double that specified in 1884. Impounding of water began on 23 June 1926, and the reservoir was full by November, but formal commissioning did not take place until May 1927. Once built, it supplied of compensation water per day to maintain the flow in the river. Below Llwyn-on, the river is crossed by the A470 Brecon to Merthyr road, the A465 Heads of the Valleys road, and as it passes to the south-west of
Cefn-coed-y-cymmer Cefn-coed-y-cymmer () is a small community on the northwestern edge of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough in Wales. It is situated in the neck of land between the rivers Taf Fawr and Taf Fechan at their confluence (Welsh: 'cymer'). The village lies ...
, the Cefn Railway Viaduct. which consists of 15 arches built on a curve. It was to have been built of stone, but a masons strike in 1866 resulted in the Brecon and Merthyr Railway buying 800,000 bricks to complete it. It is grade II* listed as its history and architecture surpass that of most other railway viaducts in Wales. On the west bank are the remains of a leat, constructed in 1766 for the
Cyfarthfa Ironworks The Cyfarthfa Ironworks were major 18th- and 19th-century ironworks in Cyfarthfa, on the north-western edge of Merthyr Tydfil, in South West Wales. The beginning The Cyfarthfa works were begun in 1765 by Anthony Bacon (by then a merchant in L ...
. It is fed by a stone weir with a
cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...
sluice. Parts of the leat are cut into solid rock, and parts have stone walls and buttresses. The river is joined by the Taf Fechan near
Cyfarthfa Castle Cyfarthfa Castle ( cy, Castell Cyfarthfa; ) is a castellated mansion that was the home of the Crawshay family, ironmasters of Cyfarthfa Ironworks in Park, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The house commanded a view of the valley and the works, which â ...
.


Taf Fechan

The Taf Fechan rises immediately to the south of Pen y Fan and runs southwards through three reservoirs and a former fourth, now abandoned. Whereas the Taf Fawr was the preserve of Cardiff Corporation, the Taf Fechan was used to supply water to Merthyr Tydfil Corporation. Of the Upper Neuadd and Lower Neuadd reservoirs, the lower one was built first, authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1876. Like those on the Taf Fawr, it had an earth embankment with a clay core. The clay had to be imported, and for this purpose a private branch line was built from the Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway near Torpantau railway station. The contract for the work was given to William Jones of Neath, and the project was completed in 1884. Now decommissioned, the water level when the reservoir was full was at above Ordnance Datum, and it held . The Upper Neuadd Reservoir is rather larger, and was authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1895. The dam which is high was constructed of masonry, and some 100,000 tons were carried along an extended railway to the construction site. Although the contractors Holme and King of Liverpool were employed to do much of the preparatory work, the building of the dam was carried out by direct labour, with Merthyr Corporation's surveyor, Thomas F Harvey, acting as resident engineer. Work began in 1896 and finished in 1902. It holds , and with a water level at , it is one of a very small number of artificial lakes built above the contour. The dam has a small tower to the west, and a larger one to the east, below which a tunnel outlet built in Piranesi style sits at the base of the dam. Neuadd House, built as part of the reservoir project in 1896, is just downstream from the dam. An octagonal building at the east side of the Lower Neuadd dam is also a listed structure. The river continues southwards through a steep-sided wooded valley and is crossed by Pont Cwmyfedwen, an early- to mid-19th century single span bridge before it reaches
Pentwyn Reservoir Pontsticill Reservoir () or Taf Fechan Reservoir is a large reservoir on the Taf Fechan lying partly in the county of Powys and partly within the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park a ...
, the oldest of the four reservoirs. It was built by the Merthyr Board of Health between 1859 and February 1863, and the consulting engineer for the project was
Thomas Hawksley Thomas Hawksley ( – ) was an English civil engineer of the 19th century, particularly associated with early water supply and coal gas engineering projects. Hawksley was, with John Frederick Bateman, the leading British water engineer of the ...
, but despite this, the dam was built over a geological fault, which led to large volumes of leakage. This leakage was one of the main factors that led to the construction of the Lower Neuadd Reservoir. Remedial work was carried out at regular intervals, but never seemed to last for long. Repairs undertaken in 1912/13 reduced the level of leakage from which was sufficient until
Pontsticill Reservoir Pontsticill Reservoir () or Taf Fechan Reservoir is a large reservoir on the Taf Fechan lying partly in the county of Powys and partly within the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales. It lies within the Brecon Beacons National Park a ...
could be built to impound the leaking water. The corporation had obtained the Act of Parliament to authorise it in 1911, and awarded a contract to
Sir Robert McAlpine Sir Robert McAlpine Limited is a family-owned building and civil engineering company based in Hemel Hempstead, England. It carries out engineering and construction in the infrastructure, heritage, commercial, arena and stadium, healthcare, educa ...
& Sons on 16 June 1913. The contract price of £232,000 included various ancillary work including diverting the roads on both sides of the valley. The top of the earth dam was above the valley floor, and the reservoir was designed to hold , although this was subsequently increased a little by raising the water level by . Completion was delayed by the onset of the First World War, and when work resumed in 1922, the Corporation used direct labour. The Taf Fechan Water Supply Act had been passed in 1921, creating the Taf Fechan Water Supply Board, uniting the Rhymney Valley Water Board, the Pontypridd and Rhondda Joint Water Board, the Urban District Councils of Aberdare and Llantrisant & Llantwit Fardre, and Merthyr Tydfil Corporation. The reservoir was opened by Lord Buckland of Bwlch on 21 July 1927. The valve tower is octagonal and built in Gothic style, with a copper-covered spire. The outflow is a large funnel with convex sides and concrete ribs. Both are grade II listed, together with the dam and a lattice steel bridge. The filter house, with its twelve rapid gravity filter beds, which have been little altered since 1923, is also listed, as are the turbine house, which controlled how much water flowed over the weir, and the compensation basin below that, which is used to regulate the flow in the Taf Fechan below the reservoir. Below the works is Pont Sticill, a single span bridge with a datestone showing it was built in 1825, which gives its name to the village. Below
Pontsticill Pontsticill is a village within the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. It lies within the valley of the Taf Fechan on the southern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The village lies within the community of Vaynor in an are ...
the river forms the boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park and descends into a wooded gorge, where it is crossed by the seven-arched Pontsarn Viaduct built for the Brecon and Merthyr Railway in 1866. It is high and long. Just to the south of the viaduct is Pont-sarn, a stone bridge built in 1864 after the previous wooden one collapsed. This occurred because the parishes of Merthyr and Vaynor were supposed to maintain it jointly, but could not agree, and so it became dilapidated. There were proposals to widen it in 1955, but the plans were withdrawn when there was stiff opposition from local people. Below the bridge, the river plunges into Pwll Glas or the Blue Pool. The river continues to flow south-westwards around the hamlet of Trefechan, and as it approaches
Cefn-coed-y-cymmer Cefn-coed-y-cymmer () is a small community on the northwestern edge of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough in Wales. It is situated in the neck of land between the rivers Taf Fawr and Taf Fechan at their confluence (Welsh: 'cymer'). The village lies ...
, there is a tramway and leat on the east bank. The tramway was built in 1792, and was used to carry limestone to the Cyfarthfa Ironworks from Gurnos quarries, while the leat was constructed in 1825. Its main function was to provide the ironworks with a good supply of water, but it also fed the ornamental lake at Cyfarthfa Castle through a syphon. After passing under the A465 and the A4054 roads, the Taf Fechan merges with the Taf Fawr at the wooded confluence that gives Cefn-coed-y-cymmer its name. The river holds a large population of wild brown trout, many of which were killed in 2006 when three tonnes of
aluminium sulphate Aluminium sulfate is a salt with the formula Al2 (SO4)3. It is soluble in water and is mainly used as a coagulating agent (promoting particle collision by neutralizing charge) in the purification of drinking water and wastewater treatment plant ...
spilled into the river from the Pontsticill Water Treatment Works, which United Utilities operate on behalf of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. The pollution turned the water white for at least downstream of the works and killed approximately 23,000 fish, including wild brown trout, bullheads, stickleback and
pike Pike, Pikes or The Pike may refer to: Fish * Blue pike or blue walleye, an extinct color morph of the yellow walleye ''Sander vitreus'' * Ctenoluciidae, the "pike characins", some species of which are commonly known as pikes * ''Esox'', genus of ...
, and a large number of invertebrates.
Environment Agency Wales Environment Agency Wales () was a Welsh Government sponsored body that was part of the Environment Agency of England and Wales from 1996 to 2013. Its principal aims were to protect and improve the environment in Wales and to promote sustainable ...
estimated that the river would take six to twelve years to recover. The trout population had resumed breeding by 2009.


Below the confluence

Just below the confluence of the Taf Fawr and Taf Fechan, the river is crossed by the
Pont-y-Cafnau The Pont-y-Cafnau (Welsh, meaning ''bridge of troughs''), sometimes written ''Pont y Cafnau'' or ''Pontycafnau'', is a long iron truss bridge over the River Taff in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The bridge was designed by Watkin George and built i ...
tramroad bridge. This was probably the first iron railway bridge to be built, and was unusual in that it had three levels. The main deck carried the -gauge Gurnos Tramway, beneath which there was an iron trough to carry water from the Taf Fechan leat, while a second water supply was carried in a wooden launder above the tramway tracks. The cast iron structure was manufactured at the Cyfarthfa Ironworks. On the west bank of the river are the remains of the ironworks, which began operating in 1765. The artifacts include seven blast furnaces, which formed part of the largest ironworks in the world in its heyday. The river runs through the western edges of Merthyr Tydfil, where it is crossed by modern bridges carrying the A4054 and A4102 roads, and by Jackson's Bridge, an early 19th century single span structure that carried the Dowlais tramway and a road. Two modern bridges in central Merthyr Tydfil carry the northbound carriageway of the A4054 across the river to its west bank and back again, with a weir between them. Nant Rhyd-y-car joins on the west bank at Cae-draw, just before the A4102 crosses. As it approaches Abercanaid Industrial Estate, the railway from
Merthyr Tydfil railway station , symbol_location = gb , symbol = rail , image = Railway Station, Merthyr Tydfil (geograph 4049515).jpg , caption = Merthyr Tydfil railway station in 2014 , borough = Merthyr Tydfil, Mer ...
joins the east bank of the river and runs parallel to it for much of its length. It curves around the eastern edge of
Abercanaid Abercanaid ( cy, Abercannaid) is a small village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom with a population of about 5,060. It is situated south of Merthyr town centre and is west of Pentrebach, across the Ri ...
, below which it is crossed by the A4060 road bridge. At
Troed-y-rhiw Troed-y-rhiw (, translation: foot of the slope) is a large community village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Its population at the 2011 census was 5,296. It features the Troed-y-rhiw railway station. Governance The community ...
the B4285 Bridge Street crosses, and the Afon Tâf High School if located on the east bank. A little further south, Ynysowen Community Primary School is on the west bank and the river curves around the eastern edge of Aberfan, part of the Merthyr Vale community. Below Aberfan, the river enters a wooded section, and the remains of the
Merthyr Tramroad The Merthyr Tramroad (sometimes referred to as the Penydarren Tramroad due to its use by Trevithick's locomotive built at that ironworks) was a long line that opened in 1802, connecting the private lines belonging to the Dowlais and Penydarren I ...
are sandwiched between the river and the modern railway. The Merthyr or Penydarren Tramroad was built in 1793, and was the scene of the first passenger carrying train journey in the world, when
Richard Trevithick Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He w ...
's high pressure steam locomotive pulled wagons containing 5 tons of iron ore and seventy passengers in 1804. The tramway ceased operation around 1880, and this section, which is a scheduled monument, is particularly well preserved. The river is crossed by an old farm access bridge at Pont y Gwaith, with a single span of and a width of . It carries a date plaque stating it was built in 1811, but that probably refers to an earlier wooden bridge, and the main arch was rebuilt in 1993. The river turns to the east to flow around the southern edge of
Treharris Treharris is a small town and community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in the Taff Bargoed Valley in the south of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, South Wales. It is located about west of Trelewis, from which it is separated by the Taff Ba ...
, and then in a large loop around higher ground on which is Goitre-Coed. Three listed bridges cross the loop. The first was built by
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 â€“ 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...
in 1840–41, and consists of six arches on a slight curve. It carried the single track
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 st ...
, but was doubled in width within 20 years, to enable it to carry twin tracks. The second was part of the Merthyr Tramroad, and was built in 1815 after the original wooden bridge collapsed into the river when a train crossed it. It has a span of and is one of the earliest railway bridges, but was in poor condition in 2002, as is the Victoria Bridge, which was also rebuilt in 1815. Continuing to the south-west, the river is crossed by the A472 and A470 roads, and at Abercynon is crossed by the B4275 road. Immediately to the south of the bridge was an aqueduct carrying the defunct
Glamorganshire Canal The Glamorganshire Canal in South Wales, UK, was begun in 1790. It ran along the valley of the River Taff from Merthyr Tydfil to the sea at Cardiff. The final section of canal was closed in 1951. History Construction started in 1790; being ...
over the river. The Afon Cynon joins on the right bank, and close to the junction is spanned by a skewed railway bridge with two arches of unequal sizes. The valley then widens, and the river begins to meander. On the northern edge of
Glyncoch Glyncoch is a village to the north of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward. History The name Glyncoch is Welsh language for 'Red glen' (''glyn'' "glen, small valley" + ''coch'' "red"). How the name or ...
, the river is joined by the Nant Clydach on its right bank, and to the south of the settlement is crossed by a three-bay girder viaduct, built in 1885 to carry a branch of the Taff Vale Railway over the river to
Albion Colliery Albion Colliery was a coal mine in South Wales Valleys, located in the village of Cilfynydd, one mile north of Pontypridd. Location The Colliery was located along the well known A470 road , a long-distance road from Cardiff to Llandudno. The ...
at
Cilfynydd Cilfynydd is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city, Cardiff. Cilfynydd is also an electoral ward for the county council and ...
. Just to the south is White or Berw Bridge, designed by Pontypridd Urban District Council's surveyor, P R A Willoughby. It was built in 1907, aided by L G Mouchel & Partners, who pioneered the use of reinforced concrete, and the span over the river was the longest arch in Britain using this material when it was constructed. The next crossing is Pontypridd Bridge, a high-arched single span of . It was built in 1756 by an Independent minister and self-taught civil engineer called William Edwards, and was his third attempt, after his two earlier bridges collapsed. It features three round openings in its spandrels, a device he used to relieve the pressure on an unusually wide arch. It was repaired by Edward David and Thomas Evan in 1798, and is attached to the newer Victoria Bridge on its south side. On the east bank is
Ynysangharad Park Ynysangharad Park is a cricket ground in the centre of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is located in Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. The ground was first established in 1870, but the first recorded match on the ground was in 1924, wh ...
, where there is an Arts and Crafts lido, designed in the 1920s and opened in 1923. It is now disused, but is grade II listed, as it is one of the earliest outdoor lidos in South Wales. On the west bank, the river is joined by the Afon Rhondda, before it sweeps to the east in a large bend. The A4058 dual carriageway crosses the bend at an angle, and as the river resumes its southward course, it is crossed by Machine Bridge, which is also known as Pont y Doctor, as it was built by Dr Richard Griffiths in 1809, as part of a tramway to carry coal from the Hafod Uchaf pit to the Glamorganshire Canal. It has three arches, and was widened around 1910, in an early use of reinforced concrete. Some of the 19th century fabric remains, and is thought to be the earliest multi-span railway bridge still in existence in the world. Two more modern road bridges are located on its south side, and further downstream is Castle Bridge, a narrow structure with three arches dating from the early 19th century. It formerly carried a road, but is now only used by pedestrians. Next there is a large, crescent-shaped weir, which was built in 1834–5 to provide water power to the
Treforest tinplate works The Treforest tinplate works in Treforest, Wales, operated between the late 18th century and 1939. The six remaining buildings on the site were constructed in the mid 19th century during which time the iron and tinplate industries ...
. The sluice to control the flow of water to the works is at the western end of the weir, and probably dates from a little later. The works continued in operation until 1939, and a fish ladder was added in 2003, to allow migrating fish to access the upper river. Many of the building still exist, some distance to the south of the weir, including a casting house, a workshop, a tinning house, a smithy, a rolling mill, and the retaining wall for the leat. The leat had seven sluices with gates to feed the works, but all have been bricked up.


Diversion in Cardiff

In the early 1840s the
South Wales Railway The South Wales Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd De Cymru) was a main line railway which opened in stages from 1850, connecting the Great Western Railway from Gloucester to South Wales. It was constructed on the broad gauge. An original aspiration was to ...
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 Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
and the Millennium Stadium are now sited tidal flats which were prone to flood.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 â€“ 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...
's solution was to divert the Taff to the west, creating a larger and safer site for the station. The station was opened by the South Wales Railway in 1850.


Tributaries


Nant Ffrwd

Underneath the Cefn Coed Viaduct, the
Nant Ffrwd The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with the Riv ...
, a tributary that runs eastward in a deep wooded gorge before flowing into the Taf Fawr above the confluence with the
Taf Fechan The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with the R ...
, emerges into the river from a deep, narrow gorge.


Nant Morlais and Nant Rhydycar

The Taff continues south through the centre of Merthyr Tydfil, where it is joined by the Nant Morlais which emerges at Abermorlais from a culvert in the east bank. Just south of Merthyr weir, the Nant Rhydycar joins.


Taff Bargoed, Cynon, Nant Clydach and Rhondda

South of Merthyr, the Taff begins to
meander A meander is one of a series of regular sinuous curves in the channel of a river or other watercourse. It is produced as a watercourse erodes the sediments of an outer, concave bank ( cut bank) and deposits sediments on an inner, convex ba ...
its way between
Pentrebach Pentrebach (, sometimes written Pentre-Bach, literally: ''small village'') is a village in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales and is formed from the original settlements of Lower Pentrebach, Tai-bach and Duffryn. It lies on the east side of th ...
and
Abercanaid Abercanaid ( cy, Abercannaid) is a small village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom with a population of about 5,060. It is situated south of Merthyr town centre and is west of Pentrebach, across the Ri ...
and through
Troed-y-rhiw Troed-y-rhiw (, translation: foot of the slope) is a large community village in the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Its population at the 2011 census was 5,296. It features the Troed-y-rhiw railway station. Governance The community ...
,
Merthyr Vale Merthyr Vale ( cy, Ynysowen or ''Ynyswen'') is a linear village and community in the Welsh county borough of Merthyr Tydfil. Lying on the A4054 road it is on the east bank of the River Taff. The community includes the villages of Aberfan on the ...
and Aberfan towards
Quakers Yard Quakers Yard ( cy, Mynwent y Crynwyr) is a village in the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, situated where the Taff Bargoed Valley joins the Taff Valley. Quakers Yard is part of the community of Treharris. History The early place name for the di ...
. Here, the
Taff Bargoed The Taff Bargoed () is a river and valley near Pontypridd in South Wales, and lies off the Abercynon roundabout on the A470 road, and is approximately 14 miles from Cardiff. The main settlements are Nelson, Edwardsville, Quakers Yard, Treharr ...
, Nant Mafon and then down into
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, ...
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 ...
where the Afon Cynon merge with the Taff and, slightly further downstream the Nant Clydach joins. At
Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...
it is joined by the Afon Rhondda. From Pontypridd, it runs roughly south before arriving at the northern boundary of the city of
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 ...
.


Mouth of the Taff

In Cardiff, the natural course of the river was changed during the 19th century; from Cardiff Castle it now follows an artificial riverbed west of where it previously flowed, following a path through
Bute Park Bute Park and Arboretum () is a park in Cardiff, Wales. It comprises of landscaped gardens and parkland that once formed the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The park is named after the 3rd Marquess of Bute, whose family owned the castle. History and ...
, past the
Cardiff Arms Park Cardiff Arms Park ( cy, Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. It is primarily known as a rugby union stadium, but it also has a bowling green. The Arms Park was host to the British ...
and the
Principality Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national rug ...
. The Taff flows into Cardiff Bay, an artificial lake created by the construction of the
Cardiff Bay Barrage Cardiff Bay Barrage ( cy, Morglawdd Bae Caerdydd) lies across the mouth of Cardiff Bay, Wales between Queen Alexandra Dock and Penarth Head. It was one of the largest civil engineering projects in Europe during construction in the 1990s. Histo ...
in the 1990s, before flowing into the
Severn Estuary The Severn Estuary ( cy, Aber Hafren) is the estuary of the River Severn, flowing into the Bristol Channel between South West England and South Wales. Its high tidal range, approximately , means that it has been at the centre of discussions in t ...
.


"Taffy" as a pejorative

The derogatory term " ''Taffy''" for a Welsh person is sometimes erroneously stated to have originated with the river. This may have given rise to a colloquial usage of the term "Taffy" or "Taffs" for people from the Mid Glamorgan Valleys (which form the Taff's northern reaches). The name actually originates as a corruption of the name ''Dafydd'', with the
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the first and foundational historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical development of the English language, providing a co ...
describing the origin as "representing a supposed Welsh pronunciation of the given name Davy or David (Welsh Dafydd)". It was common for people in times of war to dehumanise an enemy by ascribing a singular name to them all. It is therefore an equivalent of other historic English pejoratives such as ''Paddy'' and ''Jock''. The term is a common nickname within the British army, with Welsh individuals, units and especially the
Welsh Guards The Welsh Guards (WG; cy, Gwarchodlu Cymreig), part of the Guards Division, is one of the Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. It was founded in 1915 as a single-battalion regiment, during the First World War, by Royal Warrant of George V. ...
referred to as "The Taffs". However, it has been reported that the guardsmen themselves never use that term., mentioned in


See also

*
Pont-y-Cafnau The Pont-y-Cafnau (Welsh, meaning ''bridge of troughs''), sometimes written ''Pont y Cafnau'' or ''Pontycafnau'', is a long iron truss bridge over the River Taff in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. The bridge was designed by Watkin George and built i ...
, world's earliest surviving iron railway bridge


Bibliography

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References


External links


Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust
Merthyr Tydfil Features {{DEFAULTSORT:Taff Rivers of Cardiff Rivers of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Rivers of Rhondda Cynon Taf River navigations in the United Kingdom