Pontypridd ( , ),

colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...

referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff () and Ely valleys, ...

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, 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 Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

, approximately 10 miles north west of

Cardiff Cardiff (; ) is the capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of Wales. Cardiff had a population of in and forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area officially known as the City and County of Ca ...

city centre.

Geography

Pontypridd comprises the electoral wards of

Cilfynydd Cilfynydd is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city, Cardiff. Cilfynydd is also an electoral ward for the county council and Po ...

Glyncoch Glyncoch is a village to the north of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward. History The name Glyncoch is Welsh language for 'Red glen' (''glyn'' "glen, small valley" + ''coch'' "red"). How the name or ...

, Graig, Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan, Trallwng (

Trallwn Trallwn is a district, and as Trallwng, an electoral ward, within the town of Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, sited along the banks of the River Taff (Afon Taf) and falling within the historic parish of Eglwysilan. Trallwn comprises ...

) and

Treforest Treforest () is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is situated in the Treforest electoral ward, along with the village of Glyntaff (or Glyn-Taf). It is part of the Pontypridd Town ...

. The town mainly falls within the

Senedd The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolve ...

and UK parliamentary constituency by the same name, although the Cilfynydd and Glyncoch 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

Rhondda Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), 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 (, 'large') and t ...

and Taff valleys, where the

River Rhondda The River Rhondda () is a river in South Wales with two major tributaries, ''Rhondda Fawr'' (meaning ''big Rhondda'') and ''Rhondda Fach'' (meaning ''little Rhondda''). Description The river has two major Tributary, tributaries, the ''Rhondd ...

flows into the Taff just south of the town at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. Pontypridd 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 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 navigate th ...

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

Llantrisant Llantrisant (; "Parish of the Three Saints") is a town and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the t ...

and

Pencoed Pencoed (also Pen-coed); ) is a town and community in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. It straddles the M4 motorway north east of Bridgend and is situated on the Ewenny River. At the 2011 census it had a population of around 9,166. Etymo ...

. To the west is the A4058, which follows the

Porth Porth () is a town and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales. Lying in the Rhondda Valley, it is regarded as the gateway connecting the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach va ...

and the

Rhondda Valley Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley ( ), is a former coal mining, 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 (, 'la ...

beyond.

History

Etymology

The name Pontypridd derives from the name , Welsh for "bridge by the earthen house", referring singly to successive wooden bridges that once spanned the

River Taff The River Taff () is a river in Wales. It rises in the Brecon Beacons as two rivers, the Taf Fechan ("little Taff") and the Taf Fawr ("great Taff") before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. At Cardiff, it empties into the Bristol Chan ...

at this point.

Old Bridge

Pontypridd is noted for its Old Bridge, a stone construction across the

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 An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its structural load, loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either si ...

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. Pontypridd was known as Newbridge from shortly after the construction of the Old Bridge until the 1860s.

Coal

The history of Pontypridd is tied to the

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 Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and

iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () 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, forming much of Earth's o ...

industries; before their development Pontypridd was a hamlet of a few farmsteads, with

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 Rhondda and iron from

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil () 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 Tydfil, daughter of K ...

, first by the Glamorganshire Canal, and later by 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 stage ...

, to the ports at

, 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. Pontypridd in the second half of the 19th century was a hive of industry, once nicknamed the "

Wild West The American frontier, also known as the Old West, and popularly known as the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that bega ...

". There were several collieries within the Pontypridd area itself, including: Pontypridd Railway Station 1910s

* Albion Colliery, Cilfynydd *Bodwenarth Colliery, Pontsionnorton *Daren Ddu Colliery, Graigwen & Glyncoch *Dynea Colliery, Rhydyfelen *Gelli-whion Colliery, Graig *Great Western/Gyfeillion Colliery, Hopkinstown *Lan Colliery, Hopkinstown *Newbridge Colliery, Graig *Pen-y-rhiw Colliery, Graig *Pontypridd/Maritime Collieries, Graig & Maesycoed *Pwllgwaun Colliery/'Dan's Muck Hole', Pwllgwaun *Red Ash Colliery, Cilfynydd *Ty-Mawr Colliery, Hopkinstown & Pantygraigwen *Typica Colliery, Hopkinstown & Pantygraigwen, and *Victoria Colliery, Maesycoed As well as deep-mined collieries, there were many coal levels and trial shafts dug into the hillsides overlooking the town from Cilfynydd, Graig, Graigwen and Hafod. The Albion Colliery in the village of Cilfynydd in 1894 underwent one of the worst explosions in the South Wales coalfield, with the death of 290 colliers (see

Keir Hardie James Keir Hardie (15 August 185626 September 1915) was a Scottish trade unionist and politician. He was a founder of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party, and was its first Leader of the Labour Party (UK), parliamentary leader from 1906 to 1908. ...

Iron and steel

Other instrumental industries in Pontypridd 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 The University of South Wales (USW) () is a public university in Wales, with campuses in Cardiff, Newport and Pontypridd. It was formed on 11 April 2013 from the merger of the University of Glamorgan and the University of Wales, Newport. The ...

Buildings

The town has a hospital, Dewi Sant Hospital and acts as the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

Transport for Wales Rail Transport for Wales Rail Limited, branded as Transport for Wales and TfW Rail ( and ), is a Welsh State-owned enterprises of the United Kingdom, publicly owned train operating company, a subsidiary of Transport for Wales (TfW), a Welsh Governme ...

at Llys Cadwyn.

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 1996. Pontypridd 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:

, Glyncoch, Graig, Hawthorn, Ilan, Pontypridd,

, Rhydfelen Central, Rhydfelen Lower, Trallwng and Treforest. Pontypridd Municipal Buildings was completed in 1904.

Pontypridd community

Pontypridd community comprises the town centre itself, with the following key villages/settlements: *

* Coedpenmaen (Coed-Pen-Maen) * Glyntaff *

* Graig *

Graigwen Graigwen (English translation = White-Rock) is the name of the large hill (Graigwen Hill) and the village or district located thereon, sited to the north of Pontypridd town centre and south of Glyncoch and Ynysybwl in the county borough of Rho ...

& Pantygraigwen * Hawthorn *

Hopkinstown Hopkinstown () is a small village to the west of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, alongside the River Rhondda. Hopkinstown is a former coalmining and industrial community, now a district in the town of Pontypridd wit ...

Maesycoed is a settlement to the south and west of Pontypridd town centre in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Maesycoed is a district in the town of Pontypridd within the Rhondda electoral ward and is bounded by Graig to the south, Pwll ...

* Pen-y-coedcae * Pontsionnorton (Pont Sion Norton) *

Pwllgwaun Pwllgwaun (or Pwll-Gwaun) is a village and small suburb of Pontypridd within the 'Rhondda' electoral ward, bordered by Hopkinstown and Graigwen hill to the north and east, the hillsides of Maesycoed above, and is located along the banks of the ...

* Rhydyfelin *

(Trallwng) *

* Upper Boat Pontypridd serves as the postal town for the community of

Llantwit Fardre Llantwit Fardre () is a large village and community (and electoral ward) situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend, road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old parish and the community ...

under the CF38 postcode district, although the area is not considered part of Pontypridd.

Transport links

Pontypridd came into being because of transport, as it was on the drovers' route from the south Wales coast and the

Bristol Channel The Bristol Channel (, literal translation: "Severn Sea") is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales (from Pembrokeshire to the Vale of Glamorgan) and South West England (from Devon to North Somerset). It extends ...

, to Merthyr, and onwards into the hills of

Brecon Brecon (; ; ), 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 county town of Breck ...

. Although initial expansion in the valleys occurred at Treforest due to the slower speed of the River Taff at that point, the establishment of better bridge building meant a natural flow of power to Pontypridd.

Railway

The establishment of Pontypridd over Treforest was finally confirmed with the building of the Glamorganshire Canal to serve the coalmines of the Rhondda Valley. However, the volumes of coal extraction soon led to construction of the

, 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 Pontypridd. Heavy freight went to . The station today is operated by

Transport for Wales Transport for Wales (TfW; ; ) is a not-for-profit company owned by the Welsh Government and managed at arms length by its appointed board. TfW oversees the Transport for Wales Group (TfW Group) consisting of itself and its subsidiaries: Trans ...

, 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

tram A tram (also known as a streetcar or trolley in Canada and the United States) is an urban rail transit in which Rolling stock, vehicles, whether individual railcars or multiple-unit trains, run on tramway tracks on urban public streets; some ...

service began on 6 March 1905 from

through Pontypridd to Treforest. It gave way on 18 September 1930 to

trolleybuses A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

, which on 31 January 1957 were replaced by buses following the same route.

Education

*Pontypridd County Intermediate and Technical School was built in 1895 as a co-educational school in Tyfica Road, later becoming Pontypridd County Grammar School for Boys. In 1973, it became the Coedylan Comprehensive School, and is now the

Pontypridd High School Pontypridd High School () (formerly known as Coedylan Comprehensive) is an English-medium comprehensive school in the village of Cilfynydd near Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Admissions It is for ages 11–18. It ...

on the west side of the A4054. *

Hawthorn High School Hawthorn High School () was an English-medium comprehensive school in the village of Hawthorn near Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It was featured in the CBBC CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadc ...

is near the A4054 in Hawthorn (south-east of the town) *Pontypridd Grammar School for Girls was on Glyntaff Road in Glyntaff. * Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School is on Penycoedcae Road in

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 Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales. ...

. * Cardinal Newman RC School is on Dynea Road in Rhydyfelin. * Ysgol Garth Olwg is on the A473 in Church Village (south of the town). *The

is in

(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 A bandstand (sometimes music kiosk) is a circular, semicircular or polygonal structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts. A simple construction, it both creates an ornamen ...

basketball courts In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor, with baskets at each end. Indoor basketball courts are almost always made of polished wood, usually maple, with -high rims on each basket. Outdoor su ...

, a dog exercise area, a lido swimming pool (dubbed the National Lido of Wales), tennis courts,

lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which players try to roll their ball (called a bowl) closest to a smaller ball (known as a "jack" or sometimes a "kitty"). The bowls are shaped (biased), so that they follow a curve ...

greens, a

football pitch A football pitch or soccer field is the playing surface for the game of association football. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play". The pitch is ty ...

, a

cricket pitch A cricket pitch is the rectangular central strip of a cricket field between the two wickets, where most of the action takes place. It is long (1 Chain (unit), chain) and wide. The surface is flat and is normally covered with extremely sh ...

, and memorials to the war dead of Pontypridd 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. *Pontypridd hosts Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, one of Wales's notable

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

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 The WRU Challenge Cup (currently known as the WRU Premiership Cup, formally called the Welsh Rugby Union Challenge Cup, is Wales' premier Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby union competition and is organised by the Welsh Rugby Union. A ...

and the

British and Irish Cup The British and Irish Cup was an annual rugby union competition for second tier, semi-professional clubs and the reserves or developing teams from professional clubs from Great Britain and Ireland. It took place for the first time in the 2009� ...

. Pontypridd RFC plays home games at

Sardis Road Sardis Road () is a rugby union stadium situated in Pontypridd, Wales. It is home to the Indigo Group Premiership team, Pontypridd RFC and previously the Celtic Warriors, the now defunct regional rugby union team. It is commonly known as the " ...

, with its junior section playing at Taff Vale Park and Pontypridd High School Fields, Cilfynydd. * Pontypridd United F.C. is a Welsh

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club which currently plays in the

Cymru South The Cymru South is a regional association football, football league in Wales, covering the southern half of the country. It initially had clubs with semi-professional status. Together with the Cymru North, it forms the second tier of the Welsh fo ...

, the second tier of the

Welsh football league system The Welsh football league system (or League system, pyramid) is a series of association football, football leagues with regular promotion and relegation between them. It consists of four main tiers, as well as lower local leagues. While most W ...

. *

Speedway Speedway may refer to: Racing Race tracks *Daytona International Speedway, a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida. *Edmonton International Speedway, also known as Speedway Park, a former motor raceway in Edmonton, Alberta. *Indianapolis Motor Spe ...

racing was staged at Taff Vale Park in the town's Broadway area in 1929/1930. *Pontypridd Bowls Club plays in the top division in the Cynon Valley, Mid Glamorgan and the Cardiff League, having been promoted in all three divisions after the 2009 season. Home games are played at Ynysangharad Park.

Media

* GTFM is the local community radio station based in Pontypridd and broadcasts on 107.9FM to the town and the surrounding areas of Rhondda Cynon Taf. Its studios are based in Rhydyfelin, near Cardinal Newman School. *Pontypridd is also served by several

Independent Local Radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2 ...

stations:

Capital South Wales Capital South Wales is a regional radio station owned by Communicorp UK and operated by Global Media & Entertainment, Global as part of the Capital (radio network), Capital network. It broadcasts to Cardiff and Newport, Wales, Newport and the ...

, Heart South Wales and Nation Radio Wales. *The ''Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer'' is the local weekly newspaper.

Culture

JamesJamesEvanJamesMemorialPontypriddPark

*The Welsh

national anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European ...

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau "" () is the unofficial national anthem of Wales. The title, taken from the first words of the song, means "The Old Land of My Fathers" in Welsh, usually rendered in English as simply "Land of My Fathers". The words were written by Evan Ja ...

('The Land of my Fathers') was composed in Pontypridd by local poets/musicians Evan James and James James. *Pontypridd was home to the eccentric Dr William Price who performed the first modern cremation in the United Kingdom. *Pontypridd hosted the

National Eisteddfod The National Eisteddfod of Wales ( Welsh: ') is the largest of several eisteddfodau that are held annually, mostly in Wales. Its eight days of competitions and performances are considered the largest music and poetry festival in Europe. Competito ...

in 1893 and also hosted the 2024 Eisteddfod. * Côr Meibion Pontypridd (Pontypridd Male Voice Choir) *Pontypridd holds the Welsh Poetry Competition, the biggest of its kind in Wales. *The singer

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

was born in Treforest and often mentions his home town in interviews. He headlined in a 65th birthday concert at the town's Ynysangharad Park. *The

Pontypridd Market and Town Hall Pontypridd Market and Town Hall () is a historic building located on Market Street, Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The structure, which contains a large auditorium which is currently derelict, was built in two parts both of which are ...

contained an auditorium, latterly known as the Town Hall Theatre, which closed in 1982.

In popular culture

*The name of the fictional Welsh town of Pontypandy, where children's television programme ''

Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' () is a British animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd and T ...

'' is set, is a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

of Pontypridd and

Tonypandy Tonypandy (, ) is a town, community and electoral ward located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, the to ...

. *The Welsh TV show '' Belonging'' was shot in Pontypridd. *The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series, created by Sydney Newman, C. E. Webber and Donald Wilson (writer and producer), Donald Wilson, depicts the adventures of an extraterre ...

'' and ''

Torchwood ''Torchwood'' is a British-American science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off of the 2005 revival of ''Doctor Who'', it aired from 2006 to 2011. The show shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect i ...

'' have been filmed at locations in and around Pontypridd, such as at the ''Market Tavern'', a pub in Market Street, and the Lido in Ynysangharad Park. Other locations include Treforest, Hawthorn, Graigwen, Upper Boat, Trallwng, and

Ynysybwl Ynysybwl ( ) is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-west of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the community (Wales), commun ...

Twinning

Pontypridd is twinned with

Nürtingen Nürtingen (; ) is a town on the river Neckar in the district of Esslingen (district), Esslingen in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. History The following events occurred, by year: *1046: First mention of ''Niuritingin'' in ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, Germany. Initial contact was made between them in 1965, with a visit by Côr Meibion Pontypridd Welsh male voice

Choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

to a choir called ("Coronet of Songs") based in the Oberensingen area of Nürtingen. The visit was returned a year later. Reciprocal choir visits have continued and the partnership prompted Pontypridd Urban District Council to join with Nürtingen in formal twinning relations, under an agreement signed in July 1968 by John Cheesman, Chairman of Pontypridd UDC, and Karl Gonser, Mayor of Nürtingen. Pontypridd is twinned with

Mbale Mbale is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Mbale District and the surrounding sub-region. Location Mbale is approximately northeast of Kampala, Uganda's capital city, on ...

, Uganda, since an official twinning ceremony in 2005, following links by local churches and health-care workers under the charitable Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust.

Notable people

:''See :People from Pontypridd'' * Robert Bye (1889–1962), recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

* Stuart Burrows (born 1933), opera singer, born in

* Phil Campbell (born 1961) of Motörhead * Climbing Trees, indie-folk band, formed in Pontypridd in 2011. * Catrin Collier (born 1948), novelist, had the Tŷ Catrin adult education centre in Pontypridd named in her honour in 2002. *

Joyce Daniel Joyce Daniel (1890 – 1985) created early birth control clinics in Wales for what is now named the Family Planning Association Life Alice Amelia Hyrons and Walter Lee, who was a church minister, had three daughters and Joyce was their last. ...

opened one of the country's first birth control clinics in Pontypridd in 1930. *

Geraint Evans Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans CBE (16 February 1922 – 19 September 1992) was a Welsh bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in ''Le nozze di Figaro'', Papageno in ''Die Zauberflöte'', and the title role in '' Wozzeck''. Evans ...

(1922–1992), opera singer, born in

. * Beverley Humphreys (born 1947), operatic and concert singer and broadcaster. * Evan James (1809–1878) and James James (1832–1902), writers of

, the national anthem of Wales *

Alan Wayne Jones Alan Wayne Jones (born 7 October 1945) is a researcher and scholarly writer on the subject of forensic toxicology and human physiology relating to alcohol consumption. Jones was born in Pontypridd, Wales, UK, but worked for most of his career in Sw ...

(born 1945), forensic toxicologist * David Lloyd Jones (born 1952), Judge of the High Court (QBD),

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Just ...

, and first

Justice of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Justices of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom are the judges of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom other than President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the president and Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United ...

to come from Wales was educated at Pontypridd Boys' Grammar School. *

(born 1940), singer, was born at 57 Kingsland Terrace in village of

. * David Kelly (1944–2003), specialist in biological warfare, attended Pontypridd Boys' Grammar School. *

Lostprophets Lostprophets (stylised as lostprophets or LOSTPROPHETS) were a Welsh rock band from Pontypridd, formed in 1997 by singer Ian Watkins and guitarist Lee Gaze. The group was founded after their former band Fleshbind broke up. They later recruit ...

alternative metal Alternative metal (also known as alt-metal) is a genre of heavy metal music that combines heavy metal with influences from alternative rock and other genres not normally associated with metal. Alternative metal bands are often characterized by ...

band formed in 1997 *

Elaine Morgan Elaine Morgan OBE, FRSL (7 November 1920 – 12 July 2013), was a Welsh writer for television and the author of several books on evolutionary anthropology. She advocated the aquatic ape hypothesis, which advocated as a corrective to what she s ...

(1920–2013), scriptwriter and anthropologist *

Kimberley Nixon Kimberley Nixon (born 24 September 1985) is a Welsh actress. Nixon is known for her role as Sophy Hutton in the BBC One period drama '' Cranford'', and appearances in various films such as '' Wild Child'' and '' Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snoggi ...

(born 1985), actress *

Morfydd Llwyn Owen Morfydd Llwyn Owen (1 October 1891 – 7 September 1918) was a Wales, Welsh composer, pianist and mezzo-soprano. A prolific composer, as well as a member of influential intellectual circles, she died shortly before her 27th birthday. Early ...

(1891-1918), composer, pianist and mezzo-soprano * William Price (1800–1893) carried out the first cremation in the UK in modern times on

Common. *

Merlyn Rees Merlyn Merlyn-Rees, Baron Merlyn-Rees, (né Merlyn Rees; 18 December 1920 – 5 January 2006) was a British Labour Party politician and Member of Parliament from 1963 until 1992. He served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1974–1 ...

(born 1920), Labour Party politician *

Chris Slade Chris Slade (born Christopher Slade Rees; 30 October 1946) is a Welsh drummer, who is perhaps best known for playing for Manfred Mann's Earth Band from its inception in 1971 to 1978 on eight albums, and AC/DC, for which he drummed from 1989 to ...

(born 1946), drummer for

AC/DC AC/DC are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1973. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock and Heavy metal music, heavy metal, although the band calls it simply "rock and roll". They are cited as a formativ ...

and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

* Stephen Volk (born 1954), screenwriter and novelist *

Tasker Watkins Sir Tasker Watkins (18 November 1918 – 9 September 2007) was a Welsh Lord Justice of Appeal and deputy Lord Chief Justice. He was President of the Welsh Rugby Union from 1993 to 2004. During the Second World War, he served in the British A ...

(1918–2007), VC,

, deputy Lord Chief Justice, and President of the

Welsh Rugby Union The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU; ) is the 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 of rugby in Wales, overseeing 320 member clu ...

, was educated at Pontypridd Boys' Grammar School *

Naunton Wayne Naunton Wayne (born Henry Wayne Davies, 22 June 1901 – 17 November 1970), was a Welsh character actor, born in Pontypridd, Glamorgan, Wales. He was educated at Clifton College. His name was changed by deed poll#Use for changing name, deed po ...

(1901–1970), actor, born in Llanwonno * Gareth Wood (1950-2023), composer

Sports people

* Danny Canning (1926–2014), association footballer * Keith Cooper (football referee) (born 1948), former Premier League referee * Steve Cooper (born 1979), professional association football manager *

Glyn Davies (rugby union) Glyn Davies (24 August 1927 – 7 November 1976) was a Welsh international rugby union fly-half who played club rugby for a large selection of clubs but most notably for Pontypridd and Cambridge University. He won eleven international caps for ...

(1927-1976), Welsh international rugby player * Jamie Donaldson (born 1975), professional golfer * Colin Gale (1932–2008), association footballer * Harri Greville (born 1990), rugby league footballer * John Gwilliam (1923–2016) Welsh international rugby player * Richard Haig (born 1970), association footballer * Cory Hill (born 1992) Welsh international rugby player * Ceri Hughes (born 1971), association footballer * Jenny James (1927–2014), first Welsh person to swim the English Channel (in 1951) *

Neil Jenkins Neil Jenkins, (born 8 July 1971) is a Welsh former rugby union player and current coach. He played fly half, fly-half, centre (rugby union), centre, or fullback (rugby union), full back for Pontypridd RFC, Pontypridd, Cardiff RFC, Cardiff, Ce ...

(born 1971) Welsh international rugby player * Sheila Laxon the first female horse trainer to win the Australian "cups double": the

Caulfield Cup The Caulfield Cup is a Melbourne Racing Club Group races, Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held under Handicap (horse racing), handicap conditions. This is for all horses aged three years old and older. It takes place over a distance of 2400 met ...

and

Melbourne Cup The Melbourne Cup is an annual Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race held in Melbourne, Australia, at the Flemington Racecourse. It is a 3200-metre race for three-year-olds and older, conducted by the Victoria Racing Club that forms part of the ...

Ella Lloyd Ella Mai Lloyd (born 20 July 2005) is a United Kingdom, British racing driver from Wales who currently competes for Rodin Motorsport in 2025 F1 Academy season, F1 Academy and the 2025 F4 British Championship, F4 British Championship. She is a me ...

(born 2005) Welsh racing driver * Pat Mountain (born 1976), association footballer * Kevin Morgan (born 1977) Welsh international rugby player *

Michael Owen Michael James Owen (born 14 December 1979) is an English former professional Association football, footballer who played as a Striker (association football), striker for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, Real Madrid CF, Real Madrid, Newcastle United ...

(born 1980) Welsh international rugby player * Richard Parks (born 1977) Welsh international rugby player * Jason Price (born 1977) , association footballer * Russell Robins (1932–2019) Welsh international rugby player * Ceri Sweeney (born 1980) Welsh international rugby player * Peter Turnbull (born 1989), first-class cricketer * Owain Warlow (born 1987), association footballer * Freddie Welsh (1886–1927), world champion boxer *

Martyn Williams Martyn Elwyn Williams, (born 1 September 1975) is a Welsh former professional rugby union player who played as a flanker. He earned 100 caps for the Wales national rugby union team, Wales national team, the most by a forward until he was surpa ...

(born 1975) Welsh international rugby player * Gareth Wyatt (born 1977) Welsh international rugby player

Bibliography

References

External links

Pontypridd Town Council
official website of Pontypridd Town Council
Pontypridd Town website & forum
Official Pontypridd Town website
British strike – extra fodder for pit ponies, Pontypridd
Photo from the Library of Congress's George Grantham Bain Collection
Aerial photograph of PontypriddThe history of PontypriddPontypridd Trolleybus
Pontypridd trolleybus during World War II
International Welsh Poetry Competition
International Welsh Poetry Competition based in Pontypridd
International Poetry Book Awards
International Poetry Book Awards based in Pontypridd {{Authority control Towns in Rhondda Cynon Taf