![Sardis Community Chapel, Ynysddu - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b9/Sardis_Community_Chapel%2C_Ynysddu_-_geograph.org.uk_-_429398.jpg)
Ynysddu is a small 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, ...
in the
Sirhowy valley
The Sirhowy Valley ( ) is an industrialised valley in the eastern part of the Valleys region of Wales. It is named from the Sirhowy River () which runs through it. Its upper reaches are occupied by the town of Tredegar within the unitary area of ...
of south-east
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 is part of the
district of Caerphilly within the
historic boundaries of
Monmouthshire. It lies between to
Cwmfelinfach and
Wyllie
Wyllie is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Adrian Wyllie (born 1970), American political activist, radio personality, and investigative journalist
* Alex Wyllie (born 1944), New Zealand rugby union player and coach
* Andrew W ...
, north of the town of
Risca
Risca ( cy, Rhisga) is a town in the Caerphilly County Borough and the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in south-east Wales. Risca has a railway station, opened on the Ebbw Valley Railway ...
and south of the market town of
Blackwood. It is about 10 minutes by road from the
M4 motorway and 20 minutes from the
Second Severn Crossing
or cy, Pont Tywysog Cymru, label=none, italic=unset
, carries = M4 motorway (6 lanes)
, crosses = River Severn
, locale = South West England / South East Wales
, maint = National Highways
, architect ...
. The population in 2008 was 2,905, increasing to 3,948 at the 2011 Census.
The community includes the settlements of Cwmfelinfach, Wyllie and
Wattsville
Wattsville is a small village in the Sirhowy Valley, eight miles north west of Newport, built in the 20th century for accommodation for mine workers.
Amenities
Modern Wattsville consists of two villages, Wattsville and Brynawel. It consists of o ...
.
History
Ynysddu was founded in the early 19th century by the enlightened local colliery owner John Hodder Moggridge, who lived at nearby Woodfield Park. It got its name from Ynsyddu Farm, which was built by Moggridge in 1804. Ynysddu comes from the
Welsh
Welsh may refer to:
Related to Wales
* Welsh, referring or related to Wales
* Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales
* Welsh people
People
* Welsh (surname)
* Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
descriptive words 'Ynys' ('island' or 'river meadow') and 'ddu' ('black'). 'Black river meadow' is appropriate for the landscape of the area.
After he became alarmed at the terrible living conditions of the poor in the 1820s Moggridge also built 'The Ranks'. Founded as a social experiment 'The Ranks', like similar properties in Blackwood, allowed a few workers to lease a plot of land to build a cottage and garden allotment. 'The Ranks' were situated near the Black Prince pub, but have long since disappeared.
In 1901 Kelly's Directory of Monmouthshire said:
"YNYSDDU is a hamlet of this parish, having a station on the Sirhowy section, London and North Western railway, 10¼ miles north-west from Newport. Here are Baptist and Calvinistic and Primitive Methodist chapels.
Post Office.—John Hughes, sub-postmaster. Letters received through Newport at 8.55 a.m.; dispatched, 6.30 p.m. weekdays only. Postal orders are issued here, but not paid. Pontllanfraith is the nearest money order & Blackwood the nearest telegraph office Board School, erected in 1877, at a cost of £1,500, & erected in 1899, for 167 children; average attendance, 101; Thomas Harries Phillips, master; Miss Susanna Evans, assistant mistress. Railway Station, James Williams, station master"
Transport
![Celtic Trail](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Celtic_Trail.jpg)
The village is served by regular buses operated by
Stagecoach Group to Tredegar and Blackwood in the north, and Newport city centre in the south.
Ynysddu is also part of the
Celtic Trail cycle route (National Cycle Route 47) which connects West Wales from Fishguard through to Carmarthen, Llanelli, Swansea, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, and the Severn Bridge in the East.
Notable people
:''See also
:People from Ynysddu''
* Welsh poet
William Thomas (1832–1878) was born in Ynysddu, taking his bardic name
Islwyn
The Borough of Islwyn was one of five local government districts of Gwent from 1974 to 1996.
History
The borough was formed in 1974 as a local government district of Gwent. It covered the whole area of three former districts and part of a fou ...
(meaning below the grove) from the parish of Mynyddislwyn, itself named after the mountain which towers over the village. His two best-known poems are both entitled "Yr Ystorm" ("The Storm"); one is a long philosophic poem over 9,000 lines long.
[Monmouthshire Writers. A Literary History And Anthology : W.J.Townsend ("Dromio") Collins : Publisher: R.H.Johns Ltd. ISBN B001G6J3ZK]
* Singer
Ricky Valance (real name David Spencer) was born here.
* Scott Morgan, sports shooter, born 1990;
Olympic Trap Shooting (Shotgun)
* Jackie Barnett, who lived in Ynysddu from the age of two, represented Wales at two
Commonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...
and also played
netball for Wales.
Education
Ynysddu Primary School is located in the town; its headmaster was David Witchell.
Sport and leisure
Ynysddu Rugby Club is a member of the
Welsh Rugby Union and is a feeder club for the
Newport Gwent Dragons
Dragons RFC ( cy, Dreigiau) are one of the four professional rugby union regional teams in Wales. They are owned by the Welsh Rugby Union and play their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport and at other grounds around the region. They play in ...
.
The first Ynysddu game recorded was in 1894 against
Abercarn, and was played in the church field at
Mynyddislwyn
Mynyddislwyn was a civil parish and urban district in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It was abolished in local government reorganisation in 1974. It is named for the Mountain in its centre MynyddIslwyn (Islwyn Mountain or Islwyn's Mountain, Isl ...
.
Ynysddu originally played in an all-black strip, but now play in Black and Red.
Association Football in Ynysddu began in 1905, with the launch of Ynysddu Albion AFC. The club then changed its name to Ynysddu Crusaders AFC in 1915, and existed until the outbreak of WWII in 1939, when it disbanded. The two local wartime clubs, Ynysddu Celtic and Cwmfelinfach Rangers, then merged at the end of WWII in 1945/6 to become Ynysddu Welfare AFC. Following the formal amalgamation of Ynysddu Welfare AFC and Crusaders Seniors AFC in 2008, (the latter having superseded Cwmfelinfach Colts AFC in 2003), the club then became Ynysddu Crusaders FC until the summer of 2013 when the club renamed themselves Ynysddu Welfare FC. They are affiliated to the Gwent County Football Association and are members of the Gwent Premier League (Tier 4 level in the FAW National Pyramid System), with the reserve team playing in the North Gwent Football League. Club Colours are gold and black. They play their home games at the Nine Mile Point Miners' Welfare Ground at Graig View, which they share with Ynysddu RFC.
Nearby is the
Sirhowy Valley Country Park. The Ynys Hywel Activity Centre, located there, offers adventure activities such as
abseiling
Abseiling ( ; ), also known as rappelling ( ; ), is the controlled descent of a steep slope, such as a rock face, by moving down a rope. When abseiling the person descending controls their own movement down the rope, in contrast to low ...
,
canoeing,
mountain biking,
rock climbing,
orienteering
Orienteering is a group of sports that require navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain whilst moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a s ...
and
hill-walking
Walking is one of the most popular outdoor recreational activities in the United Kingdom, and within England and Wales there is a comprehensive network of rights of way that permits access to the countryside. Furthermore, access to much uncultiv ...
. The Ynysddu Hotel is located in the village.
References
External links
Ynysddu RFCYnysddu Welfare FCPhotos of Ynysddu and surrounding area on geograph.org.uk
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Villages in Caerphilly County Borough
Populated places established in the 19th century
Communities in Caerphilly County Borough