Ystrad (also known as Ystrad Rhondda or Ystrad-Rhondda) 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, tow ...

(and

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 ...

) in the

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( cy, Cwm Rhondda ), is a former coalmining area in South Wales, historically in the county of Glamorgan. It takes its name from the River Rhondda, and embraces two valleys – the larger Rhondda Fawr valley ('' ...

Fawr valley,

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.

Description

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. Ystrad is long and narrow, 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. The Rhondda Fawr River runs through the village, separating it from Gelli on the southern bank. Like most former

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 ...

communities in the

South Wales Coalfield The South Wales Coalfield ( cy, Maes glo De Cymru) extends across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Torfaen. It is rich in coal deposits, espec ...

, 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 opened by

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

Religion

Church of St Stephen, Ystrad Rhondda - geograph

The oldest Baptist chapel in the Rhondda, and originally known as Ynysfach Chapel, Nebo was located at Ystrad. It was demolished in the early 1980s. The Church of St Stephen is part of the Church in Wales Parish of Trealaw with Ystrad Rhondda with Ynyscynon in the Diocese of Llandaff. The church was built in 1895–1896.

Governance

The Ystrad

is coterminous with the borders of the Ystrad community and elects two county councillors 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 o ...

. From 1995 to 2004 it was represented by

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

. Between 2004 and 2017 it was represented by the Labour PartyRhondda Cyon Taff County Borough Council Election Results 1995-2012
The Election Centre. Retrieved 27 October 2018. though at the May 2017 election Plaid Cymru re-took the ward.County Borough Council Elections 2017
Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. Retrieved 27 October 2018.

Sport and leisure

Ystrad is home to rugby union team

Ystrad Rhondda RFC Ystrad Rhondda Rugby Football Club is a Welsh rugby union team based in Ystrad in the Rhondda Valley. Ystrad Rhondda RFC play home games in royal and blue hooped shirts with black shorts and black socks. Today, Ystrad Rhondda RFC plays in the Wel ...

, a

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; cy, Undeb Rygbi Cymru) is the Sports governing body, 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 ...

affiliated team who play in the 2nd tier of the Welsh rugby leagues. It is also the location of the Rhondda Sports Centre.

Notable people

:''See :People from Ystrad'' *

Jill Evans Jill Evans (born 8 May 1959) is a Plaid Cymru politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Wales from 1999 to 2020. She was the first person to use the Welsh language in debate at the European Parliament. In June 199 ...

MEP *

Ben Bowen Thomas Sir Ben Bowen Thomas (18 May 1899 – 26 July 1977) was a Welsh civil servant and university President. He served as Permanent Secretary to the Welsh Department of the Ministry of Education from 1945 to 1963, and was President of the University o ...

, civil servant and educationalist *

Mel Hopkins Mel Hopkins (7 November 1934 – 18 October 2010) was a Wales international footballer. He played at left back. Club career The son of a miner,Rex Willis William Rex Willis (25 October 1924 – 19 January 2000) was a Welsh international rugby union scrum-half who played club rugby for Cardiff and invitational rugby for the Barbarians. He won 21 caps for Wales and was selected to play in the Brit ...

, Wales rugby union captain and British Lion *

Ernest Zobole Ernest Zobole (25 April 1927 – 27 November 1999) was a Welsh painter and art teacher. Zobole's paintings, originally oil on canvas, later switching to oil on board, reflected the industrial setting of the Rhondda Valleys. A member of the ''Rhon ...

, artist * Mike Griffiths, Wales rugby union and British Lion * Nathan Jones, Welsh footballer and manager

External links

Slaters Commercial Directory: Treherbert and Ystrad-Rhondda

www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Ystrad and surrounding area

Welsh Coal Mines website - check out the histories of the local pits

References

{{authority control Communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf Wards of Rhondda Cynon Taf