Pontypridd

() ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.

Geography

comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). The town mainly falls within the Senedd and UK parliamentary constituency by the same name, although the and wards fall within the Cynon Valley Senedd constituency and the Cynon Valley UK parliamentary constituency. This change was effective for the 2007 Welsh Assembly election, and for the 2010 UK General Election.

The town sits at the junction of the and Taff valleys, where the River Rhondda flows into the Taff just south of the town at War Memorial Park. community recorded a population of about 32,700 in the 2011 census figures. while Pontypridd Town ward itself was recorded as having a population of 2,919 also as of 2011.

The town lies alongside the north–south dual carriageway A470 between Cardiff and Merthyr Tydfil. The A4054, running north and south of the town, was the former main road, and like the A470, follows the Taff Valley. South of the town is the A473 for and . To the west is the A4058, which follows the River Rhondda to and the Rhondda Valley beyond.

History

Etymology

The name derives from the name , Welsh for "bridge by the earthen house", referring singly to successive wooden bridges that once spanned the River Taff at this point.

Old Bridge

is noted for its Old Bridge, a stone construction across the River Taff built in 1756 by William Edwards. This was Edwards's fourth attempt, and at the time of construction, was the longest single-span stone arch bridge in the world. Rising above the level of the river, the bridge forms a perfect segment of a circle, the chord of which is . Notable features are the three holes of differing diameters through each end of the bridge, the purpose of which is to reduce weight. On completion, questions were soon raised as to the utility of the bridge, with the steepness of the design making it difficult to get horses and carts across. As a result, a new bridge, the Victoria Bridge, paid for by public subscription, was built adjacent to the old one in 1857. was known as Newbridge from shortly after the construction of the Old Bridge until the 1860s.

Coal

The history of is tied to the coal and iron industries; before their development was a hamlet of a few farmsteads, with Treforest initially becoming the main urban settlement in the area. Sited at the junction of three valleys, it became an important location for transporting coal from the and iron from Merthyr Tydfil, first by the Glamorganshire Canal, and later by the Taff Vale Railway, to the ports at Cardiff, Barry and Newport. Its role in coal transport lengthened its railway platform, which is thought to have once been the longest in the world in its heyday. in the second half of the 19th century was a hive of industry, once nicknamed the " Wild West". There were several collieries within the Pontypridd area itself, including:


* Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd
*Bodwenarth Colliery,
* Colliery, &
* Colliery,
*Gelli-whion Colliery,
*Great Western/ Colliery, Hopkinstown
* Colliery, Hopkinstown
*Newbridge Colliery,
* Colliery,
*/Maritime Collieries, &
* Colliery/'Dan's Muck Hole',
*Red Ash Colliery,
* Colliery, Hopkinstown &
*Typica Colliery, Hopkinstown & , and
*Victoria Colliery,

As well as deep-mined collieries, there were many coal levels and trial shafts dug into the hillsides overlooking the town from and . The Albion Colliery in the village of in 1894 underwent one of the worst explosions in the South Wales coalfield, with the death of 290 colliers (see Keir Hardie).

Iron and steel

Other instrumental industries in were the Brown Lenox/Newbridge Chain & Anchor Works south-east of the town, and Crawshay's Forest Iron, Steel & Tin Plate Works and the Taff Vale Iron Works, both in Treforest near the now University of South Wales.

Buildings

The town has a hospital, Dewi Sant Hospital and acts as the headquarters of Transport for Wales Rail at .

Government

Pontypridd Urban District Council operated from 1894 to 1974, when it was incorporated into Taff Ely Borough Council. That in turn came under the unitary Council in 1995. Town Council functions as a community council. Labour is the dominant political force and has been since the First World War. The community elects 23 town councillors from 11 community wards: , Hawthorn, Central, Lower, and Treforest.

Pontypridd community

community comprises the town centre itself, with the following key villages/settlements:
*
*
*
*
*
*
* Hawthorn (Y Ddraenen-Wen)
* Hopkinstown (Trehopcyn)
*
*
*
*
*
* Trallwn (Trallwng)
* Treforest (Trefforest)
* Upper Boat (Glan-Bad)

serves as the postal town for the community of under the CF38 postcode district, although the area is not considered part of .

Transport links

came into being because of transport, as it was on the drovers' route from the south Wales coast and the Bristol Channel, to Merthyr, and onwards into the hills of . Although initial expansion in the valleys occurred at Treforest due to the slower speed of the River at that point, the establishment of better bridge building meant a natural flow of power to .

Railway

The establishment of over Treforest was finally confirmed with the building of the Glamorganshire Canal to serve the coalmines of the valley. However, the volumes of coal extraction soon led to construction of the Taff Vale Railway, which at its peak meant a train passed through Pontypridd railway station (including the freight lines immediately to its west) every two or three minutes. The station was originally built as a long single island, at one point the world's longest platform, a reflection of both the narrow available geography of the steep valley side and the need to accommodate many converging railways lines at what became the 19th-century hub of the valleys.

Due to the restrictive geography, only parcels and mail were handled at . Heavy freight went to . The station today is operated by Transport for Wales, which is headquartered in the town. It reflects the fewer destinations served since the Beeching and earlier cuts, with one up (valley) platform, one down (through) platform, a down bay platform (opened in December 2014), and one passing loop.

Trams, trolleybuses, and buses

A tram service began on 6 March 1905 from through Pontypridd to Treforest. It gave way on 18 September 1930 to trolleybuses, which on 31 January 1957 were replaced by buses following the same route.

Education

* County Intermediate and Technical School was built in 1895 as a co-educational school in Road, later becoming Pontypridd County Grammar School for Boys. In 1973, it became the Comprehensive School, and is now the Pontypridd High School in on the west side of the A4054.
*Hawthorn High School is near the A4054 in Hawthorn (south-east of the town)
* Grammar School for Girls was on Road in .
*Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School is on Road in .
* Cardinal Newman RC School is on Dynea Road in Rhydyfelin.
* is on the A473 in Church Village (south of the town).
*The University of South Wales is in Treforest (south of the town), next to the A473.

Entertainment and social history

Sport and recreation

* Ynysangharad War Memorial Park, opened by Field Marshal Viscount Allenby on 6 August 1923, features a bandstand, basketball courts, a dog exercise area, a lido swimming pool (dubbed the National Lido of Wales), tennis courts, lawn bowls greens, a football pitch, a cricket pitch, and memorials to the war dead of and to the composers of the Welsh national anthem. It has also hosted festivals and music concerts, including the annual Ponty's Big Weekend festival.
* hosts Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, one of Wales's notable rugby union clubs, with a successful junior rugby and age-grade sections. It frequently contribute players to the national team. Formed in 1876, Pontypridd RFC play in the Principality Premiership, SWALEC Cup and the British and Irish Cup. Pontypridd RFC plays home games at Sardis Road, with its junior section playing at Taff Vale Park and Pontypridd High School Fields, Cilfynydd.
*Pontypridd Town A.F.C. is a Welsh football club which currently plays in the Cymru Premier, the top tier of the Welsh football league system.
* Speedway racing was staged at Taff Vale Park in the town's Broadway area in 1929/1930.
* Bowls Club plays in the top division in the Valley, Mid Glamorgan and the Cardiff League, having been promoted in all three divisions after the 2009 season. Home games are played at Park.

Media

* has a community radio station which broadcasts to the county of Rhondda Cynon Taf on 107.9FM. Its studios are in Rhydyfelin, near Cardinal Newman School. It offers local news and information and a wide variety of music, while providing volunteering and training opportunities.
*The ''and'' ''Observer'' is the local newspaper.
* has a digital media scene, with various companies having offices there.

Culture

*The Welsh national anthem ('The Land of my Fathers') was composed in by local poets/musicians Evan James and James James.
* was home to the eccentric Dr William Price who performed the first modern cremation in the United Kingdom.
* hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1893.
* Male Voice Choir)
* holds the Welsh Poetry Competition, the biggest of its kind in Wales.
*The singer Tom Jones was born in Treforest and often mentions his home town in interviews. He headlined in a 65th birthday concert at the town's Park.

In popular culture

*The name of the fictional Welsh town of , where children's television programme '' Fireman Sam'' is set, is a portmanteau

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