Pontcynon is a small village of around 200 households within 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 ...

in the County Borough of

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 vill ...

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 ...

, near Abercynon. Most of the village consists of terraced housing fronting the B4275 Abercynon Road; but also consists of the adjoining streets of Pontcynon Terrace, Vale View and Cemetery Road.

Geography

Pontcynon is located along the B4275, and is bounded by the village of Abercynon just under a mile to the south, by the A4059 to the east and by

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 ...

beyond, and by Ynysboeth to the northwest. Although at one time considered an outlying district of the community of Abercynon, the sign signifying the southbound approach to Abercynon is today located south of the village at a point where there is a 150m break between the terraced housing along Abercynon Road, the start and end of which indicating the boundaries of the village and of Abercynon. Pontcynon however remains part of the electoral ward of Abercynon. The village is noted for its bridge, the 'Pont Cynon' (meaning 'Cynon Bridge' in Welsh, after which the village took its name), which crosses the railway line and 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 ...

as the B4275 at this point. This provides a link to the A4059 New Road to the east, and to the

A470 The A470 (also named the Cardiff to Glan Conwy Trunk Road) is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigat ...

and A472 beyond. This route also provides access to nearby leisure facilities to the south, such as Abercynon Sports Centre, Abercynon RFC and Parc Abercynon; and also provides a link southbound to Greenfiled Terrace towards the Abercynon district of Glancynon.

History

Pontcynon as with much of the lower Cynon Valley, previously fell within the parish of Llanwonno within the historic County of

Glamorganshire , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...

. The village previously had its own station 'Pontcynon Halt', along the Aberdare Branch of the

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 ...

, which closed during the 1960s as part of the

Beeching Cuts The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the M ...

Local Amenities

Pontcynon is home to the Pontcynon Industrial Estate which includes the famous Garth Bakery,; as well as a local convenience store. The village also provides access to nearby Abercynon Cemetery to the south via Cemetery Road.

References

{{authority control Villages in Rhondda Cynon Taf