Fochriw
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Fochriw () is a village located in
Caerphilly County Borough Caerphilly County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It is governed by Caerphilly County Borough Council. Its main and largest town is Caerphilly. Other towns in the county borough are Bed ...
, Wales, United Kingdom. It was well known for its neighbouring
collieries 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 ...
, which employed nearly the entire local population in the early 20th century. It lies within the historic county boundaries of
Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
. The village appears as the backdrop on the
BBC Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is ...
sitcom '' High Hopes'' credits. The villages population was recorded as 1,250 in 2011.


History

Fochriw's growth was germinated to a lesser extent by the Rhymney Iron Company’s requirement for ironstone, and to a greater extent by the Dowlais Ironworks’ requirement for
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
, the quality of which was so good that it was used directly in the iron making process without the need for its conversion to coke. Over a period of about 130 years, the landscape changed from
rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are describ ...
to
industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...
, and back to rural, as it is today. However, the latter changes did not take place until relatively recently when nearly all the remnants of the
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 ...
industry were removed from around the village. The memories of the industrial landmarks, or eyesores, that remained following the closure of the Fochriw and South Tunnel collieries are only retained by those of a certain age, and the younger generation no longer have the “experience” of living in a community which is centred on
coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...
. The History of Fochriw website can be accessed at the following link https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/en/archive/20160112101258/http://www.fochriwhistory.co.uk/index.htm


Location

Fochriw is a typical South Wales Valleys coal mining village that developed from its rural existence by the need for
iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...
and coal during the 19th century. It is located on the north-east flank of Mynydd Fochriw at the head of the Bargoed Fach (now called the Darran) valley, approximately north of Bargoed, and south east of
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...
. The village straddles two ancient hamlets in the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Gelligaer, these being the Ysgwyddgwyn and Brithdir hamlets, the dividing line being the brook (Bargoed Fach) which flows in the bottom of the valley. The boundaries of these hamlets were walked by a number of parishioners of the parish on 24th day of May, 1750, and a document detailing the boundaries of each hamlet, namely Keven, Hengode, Garthgynyd, Ysgwyddgwyn, and Brithdecr (Brithdir) was produced, extracts of same are reproduced below. Ysgwyddgwyn Hamlet ''It begins where Nant Goch goes to Bargoed by Pont Cradoc then along Nant Goch upwards to the stone standing on the Common opposite Mardy Bach house then from that stone directly westward along the old ditch to the Highway that leadeth from Pen yr Hrwl Ddu to Pen y Bryn Oie then along the way to Trosater Henla then to Three Great Stones standing in the Heath below Twyn y Wayn between Merthyr and Gellygaer then directly eastward to Bargoed River little below the way that leadeth from Keven y Brith'' Brithdecr (Brithdir) Hamlet ''It begins where Bargoed River goes to Rhymney by Aberbargoed Bridge then along the River Bargoed upwards till it comes very near the way upon the Common that leadeth from Keven y Brith decr to Twyn y Wayn then directly eastwards to the three stones in the Heath below Twyn y Wayn between Merthyr and Gellygaer then directly to the E sid Twyn y Wayn then directly to Fynnon Gwellin then to the old water pond in Pantywayn Coal pits then directly to the spring head of a Brook called Nant y Glynon then to Pwll Elwch Uarc then to Carn y Clyndir or Mark Ycha then to Carn Helig then to Rhyd y Milwr on the River Rhymney then along the River Rhymney to Aberbargoed Bridge aforesaid.'' The foregoing boundaries were perambulated the 24th day of May 1750 by George Parry Curate of Gellygaer, William Perrott Churchwarden, Edmond LLewelyn of Garthgynyd, George Williams of Carno, Henry Thomas of Brithdee, Thomas Lewis of Keven Bach, David Evans of Blaen Rhymney, Moses David of Pitwellt, Lewis Edwards of Ysgwyddgwyn and several others of the Parishioners of the said parish.


Origin of the name

It was identified as Brohru Carn in the 12th century, and a reference to Fforch y Rhiw is made in the book Parish of Gelligaer by T.V. Davies, in the section dealing with Roman History and the route of Heol Adam. It states that “The holding called Fforch y Rhiw is mentioned in several Gelligaer leases of the 17th century. The name probably arises from a number of old tracks in the Brithdir Hamlet which tend to converge near Fochriw”. It has also been known as Boch Rhiw Carn, Ffochreiw, Fochrhiw, Vochriw, Vochrhiw, and, currently, Fochriw. The interpretation of the name from an my original Fochriw family was Foch Y Rhiw Pentwyn Mawr which translates in English to : the cheek of the slope of the head hill (Pentwyn Mountain). This seems to describe the village's actual location.


In ancient times

By 75 AD the Romans had reached the flat plain where, within a mile or so of each other, the three rivers,
Rhymney Rhymney (; cy, Rhymni ) is a town and a community in the county borough of Caerphilly, South Wales. It is within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. With the villages of Pontlottyn, Fochriw, Abertysswg, Deri and New Tredegar, Rhymney is ...
,
Taff Taff may refer to: * River Taff, a large river in Wales * ''Taff'' (TV series), a German tabloid news programme * Trans-Atlantic Fan Fund, an organisation for science fiction fandom People * a demonym for anyone from south Wales * Jerry Taff ( ...
and
Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formal ...
reach the sea, and had built there a wooden fort. Later this was rebuilt in stone and its remains can still be seen in patches at the base of the walls of
Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle ( cy, Castell Caerdydd) is a medieval castle and Victorian Gothic revival mansion located in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales. The original motte and bailey castle was built in the late 11th century by Norman invaders on top ...
. This was the principal centre of occupation of what was the old
county of Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
. Leaving at Cardiff a permanent garrison, the Romans pushed west and north. A Roman road was made to Gelligaer as a connecting link between the forts of Cardiff and Brecon. In addition to a fort at Gelligaer another was eventually built at Penydarren. Thence the road ran through Pontsarn and
Vaynor Vaynor (Welsh: ''Y Faenor'', meaning "The Manor") is a village and community (formerly a parish) in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough in Wales, United Kingdom. The population of the community at the 2011 census was 3,551. Location It is about fo ...
to Y Gaer, near
Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...
. On an
Ordnance Survey map , nativename_a = , nativename_r = , logo = Ordnance Survey 2015 Logo.svg , logo_width = 240px , logo_caption = , seal = , seal_width = , seal_caption = , picture = , picture_width = , picture_caption = , formed = , preceding1 = , di ...
one can trace the line of the Roman road on Gelligaer common, where it is known as Heol Adam. The Roman road from the fort at Gelligaer lies just west of Fochriw and Pant-y-Waun. It is said that the Romans marched 11 Roman miles a day and there was a rest post at Twyn-y-Waun which was 11 miles from the fort at Gelligaer. A Roman fort also exists at Pen-y-Darren which is located underneath the current site of
Merthyr Town F.C. Merthyr Town Football Club ( cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Tref Merthyr) is a Welsh semi-professional football club based in Merthyr Tydfil, currently playing in the , in the seventh tier of the English football league system. The football club was o ...


Industrial era

Fochriw existed to provide accommodation for miners at the Fochriw Colliery, later for the Ogilvie Colliery to the South. By the end of the 19th century there were a few houses on Brook Road, still the main road through the village, and three terraced streets to the west of Railway Terrace. The streets are still marked on maps and traces of the roads remain, although all buildings have been cleared and they are now a bare field. At this time there were two chapels: baptist and Carmel, a school and a station. By 1919 the village had grown and the terraces to the south around Aelbryn and Glyn Terrace had been built. A church and two larger schools had also appeared.


Fochriw Colliery

Fochriw Colliery was sunk by the Dowlais Iron Co. to provide coal for their
blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being "forced" or supplied above atmospheric ...
s at
Dowlais Dowlais () is a village and community of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil, in Wales. At the 2011 census the electoral ward had a population of 6,926, The population of the Community being 4,270 at the 2011 census having excluded Pant. Dowlai ...
. Sinking began in 1857 and by 1866 two shafts were producing coal. In 1910 the No. 1 pit was producing 1,900 tons weekly from the Upper Two Feet Nine and the Upper Four Feet seams, with the No. 2 pit producing 3,900 tons from the Big Coal, Red Coal and Rhas Las seams. It closed in 1924.


Railway

Fochriw was on the
Brecon and Merthyr Railway The Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway (B&MR) was a railway company in Wales. It was originally intended to link the towns in its name. Finding its access to Merthyr difficult at first, it acquired the Rumney Railway, an old plateway, and ...
line from to . The Bargoed branch of the
Rhymney Railway The Rhymney Railway was a railway company in South Wales, founded to transport minerals and materials to and from collieries and ironworks in the Rhymney Valley of South Wales, and to docks in Cardiff. It opened a main line in 1858, and a limite ...
ran north from Bargoed to , then the B&M constructed the line from Deri northwards, through Fochriw. Each company had running rights, with the Rhymney running as far north as Fochriw Colliery, past a number of other collieries in the
Darran valley Darran Valley ( cy, Cwm Darran) is a community in the County Borough of Caerphilly, Wales. The Darran Valley consists of the valley of the Bargod Rhymni and contains the villages of Deri, Pentwyn and Fochriw. These settlements grew around the I ...
. The Rhymney section to Deri was opened in 1864, but the B&M did not open through Fochriw to Dowlais Top until 1 September 1867, as they had been legally obliged to complete their connection from Dowlais to Merthyr first. The line through Fochriw may have been completed some years before this, and coal shipped northwards from the colliery, but the line was not yet officially opened for passenger service. Increasing coal traffic southwards from Cilhaul and Ogilvie collieries after 1900 led to the Rhymney section being relaid as
double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...
. The Ogilvie Colliery at Deri was sunk between 1918 and 1923. The climb from Deri Junction to Fochriw was steep, three miles of 1:40, a shallow gradient through the station, and then a further climb for a mile of 1:38. The highest point of the line, and the highest railway in South Wales, was in the cutting before Pant-y-waun, adjacent to the still-extant reservoir of Rhaslas Pond. At 1314 feet, this was a single foot higher than
Torpantau Torpantau railway station is a station in the Welsh county of Brecknockshire (now in Powys), and the northern terminus of the narrow gauge Brecon Mountain Railway. It had previously been a station on the standard gauge line from Merthyr to ...
summit in the
Brecon Beacons The Brecon Beacons ( cy, Bannau Brycheiniog, ) are a mountain range in South Wales. In a narrow sense, the name refers to the range of Old Red Sandstone peaks which lie to the south of Brecon. Sometimes referred to as "the central Beacons" t ...
. By 1919, there was also a connection from Fochriw Colliery through to , west of the village. Fochriw railway station was built to the north of Brook Row, on top of the embankment which can still be seen on the east of Railway Terrace. Southwards its path can still be seen as a footpath between Aelbryn and Plantation Terrace. As well as the platform, there was also a small
goods shed A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train. A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built ...
. The siding and goods shed were removed in 1959 and the railway closed to passengers on the 29 December 1962.


Education

The first school in the area was a National School at Pentwyn. It was opened in 1856 by the Gellygaer Charities which were left to the parish by Edward Lewis of Gilfach Bargoed in 1715. The new infant school was opened in July 1910 and was attended for instruction by the scholars for the first time on the first Monday of September 1910. In April 1911 a half
acre The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imp ...
of land adjacent to the existing school was bought for £20. It was not until September 1912 that a letter was written to the building committee of the County Council recommending that a new school be built. On 1 April 1971 both Infants and Junior schools combined under one Head Teacher to become Fochriw Primary School. A Nursery was opened at Plantation Terrace in 1973.


See also

* Rhymney Valley


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * *


External links

* * {{authority control Villages in Caerphilly County Borough