Castellau ("fortifications"; alternate: Castella) is a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

, with a

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

of the same name in the

county borough County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control, similar to the unitary authorities created since the 1990s. An equivalent ter ...

of Rhondda Cynon Taf,

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. Historically, it lies within the 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 SS ...

, just north-west of

Beddau Beddau ( en, Graves cy, Y Beddau) is a large former mining village (and electoral ward) situated within the South Wales Valleys Davies (2008), page 507. around from Llantrisant and from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of R ...

. It is connected with the history of the Trahernes. In 1988, Ysgol Castellau became the first

Welsh medium education Education delivered through the medium of the Welsh language is known as Welsh-medium education (). Welsh-medium education should be distinguished from the teaching of the Welsh language itself as an academic subject. 16% of pupils in Wales atte ...

school to open in the southeast within new buildings.

Geography

After crossing the Rhondda, the road rises out of the valley in a southerly direction nearly due south to Castellau. Castellau is located less than a mile north-west of

. A forge was situated in a small valley, Darren Ddeusant, extending upwards by the mansion, Castellau House, into the hills to the north of

. This hamlet contains some coal works, part of the produce of which is shipped for Ireland.

History

While the name imports a fortified place, nothing is known of its history. It might have formed an outpost to the castle of Llantrisant. The Traherne family lived for several centuries at Castellau. They are descended through Sir George Herbert of Swansea, son of

Sir Richard Herbert Sir Richard Herbert (died 1510) of Ewyas, Herefordshire, was a Welsh knight, gentleman, landowner, and courtier. He was an illegitimate son of William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423–1469), and Maud ap Howell Graunt, a daughter of Adam a ...

. It was later owned by a Mrs. Smith.

Castellau

Built in the late Classical Regency style, Castellau probably predates 1807. The large two-storeyed house is a remodel from a 17th-century three-unit house. The interior has a semicircular staircase, square hall, bow-ended dining room, Ionic columns, marble chimneypiece, cast iron balustrade. The white house's exterior features bowed ends, a six-bay facade, central doorway, slate roof, cantilevered eaves, and a cast iron veranda.

Chapel

Chapel Castellau Independent was built in 1842 or 1843 and a renovation occurred in 1877. It was not used only as a place of worship. In 1851, Joshua Evans of Cymmar was its minister while in 1865, Henry Oliver served as minister. The chapel is located south of the house; featuring angled pinnacles and transomed lancets, the interior has galleries on three sides and a polygonal pulpit.

References

{{authority control Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf