Charles III
30-554: Rhydyfelin ( Welsh pronunciation: [r̥idəˈvɛlɪn] ) is a large village (originally known as Rhydfelen ) and part of the community of Pontypridd Town , about two miles to its south east of Pontypridd , in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf . It is on the eastern bank of the River Taff close to the A470 , and historically was in the parish of Eglwysilan . Rhydyfelin is also known as Rhydfelen, and means Mill ford in
60-491: 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: Cilfynydd , Glyncoch, Graig , Hawthorn , Ilan, Pontypridd, Rhondda , Rhydfelen Central, Rhydfelen Lower, Trallwng and Treforest. Pontypridd community comprises the town centre itself, with the following key villages/settlements: Pontypridd serves as
90-509: 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
120-410: 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
150-664: Is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest tier of local government in Wales . Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England but, unlike English parishes, communities cover the whole of Wales. There are 878 communities in Wales. Until 1974 Wales was divided into civil parishes . These were abolished by section 20 (6) of the Local Government Act 1972 , and replaced by communities by section 27 of
180-596: Is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf , South Wales , approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. Pontypridd comprises the electoral wards of Cilfynydd , Glyncoch , Graig , Hawthorn , Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan, Trallwng ( Trallwn ) and Treforest . The town mainly falls within the Senedd and UK parliamentary constituency by the same name, although
210-742: Is in the Church in Wales Parish of Rhydyfelin, Diocese of Llandaff. The populations of the Central Rhydyfelin ward and Hawthorn wards, which together serve Rhydyfelin, were 4,672 and 3,652 respectively (8,324 in total) in the 2001 Census (the 2009 electorates were 3,084 and 2,781, respectively) out of the total 33,000 residents for Pontypridd as a whole. Rhydfelen was the name of the electoral ward to Mid Glamorgan County Council between 1989 and 1996. Until 1996 Rhydfelen Central and Rhydfelen Lower were wards to Taff-Ely Borough Council. It
240-626: Is now split between the electoral wards of Hawthorn and of central Rhydfelen, with the more prosperous and historic lower Rhydyfelin falling within the Hawthorn ward to the south. Rhydyfelin was home to guitarist Lee Gaze of the band LostProphets . The village is on the 55 mile Taff Trail from Brecon to Cardiff Bay . The view from lower Rhydyfelin of Eglwysilan mountain shows the locally known 'Monkeys Tump'. The first Welsh language secondary school in South Wales, Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen ,
270-689: Is twinned with Mbale , Uganda, since an official twinning ceremony in 2005, following links by local churches and health-care workers under the charitable Partnerships Overseas Networking Trust. Community (Wales) Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister ( list ) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS ( L ) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS ( L ) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS ( PC ) Leader of
300-723: 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. Pontypridd 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: As well as deep-mined collieries, there were many coal levels and trial shafts dug into
330-413: 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 35 feet (11 m) above the level of the river, the bridge forms a perfect segment of a circle, the chord of which is 140 feet (43 m). Notable features are the three holes of differing diameters through each end of
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#1732800804698360-531: The Welsh language . It grew from a rural hamlet to a thriving village in the 19th century, due to its location on the Glamorganshire Canal which took iron from Merthyr Tydfil to the city of Cardiff , and linking to this Dr Richard Griffiths' canal and tramway which took coal from the Rhondda Valleys. Also of note was the nearby Iron and Tin works at Treforest . Other minor works included an ironworks on
390-650: The A473 for Llantrisant and Pencoed . To the west is the A4058, which follows the River Rhondda to Porth and the Rhondda Valley beyond. The name Pontypridd derives from the name Pont y tŷ pridd , Welsh for "bridge by the earthen house", referring singly to successive wooden bridges that once spanned the River Taff at this point. Pontypridd is noted for its Old Bridge , a stone construction across
420-744: 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 and Taff valleys, where the River Rhondda flows into the Taff just south of the town at Ynysangharad War Memorial Park. Pontypridd community recorded
450-479: The Crown . In Wales, all town councils are community councils. There are now three communities with city status: Bangor , St Asaph and St Davids . The chair of a town council or city council will usually have the title mayor (Welsh: maer ). However, not every community has a council. In communities with populations too small to sustain a full community council, community meetings may be established. The communities in
480-515: The Old Bridge until the 1860s. The history of Pontypridd is tied to the coal and iron industries; before their development Pontypridd 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 Rhondda and iron from Merthyr Tydfil , first by
510-667: The Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS ( C ) Shadow Cabinet ( current ) Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP ( L ) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils ( leader list ) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums A community ( Welsh : cymuned )
540-573: The Taff Vale Iron Works, both in Treforest near the now University of South Wales . The town has a hospital, Dewi Sant Hospital and acts as the headquarters of Transport for Wales Rail at Llys Cadwyn. 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 Rhondda Cynon Taf Council in 1996. Pontypridd Town Council functions as
570-475: 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
600-772: The community boundaries within their area every fifteen years. The councils propose changes to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales , which prepares a report and makes recommendations to the Welsh Government . If the Welsh Government accepts the recommendations, then it implements them using a statutory instrument . For example, in 2016 four new communities were created in the City and County of Cardiff . The legislation surrounding community councils in Wales has been amended significantly in
630-564: 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 ). 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
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#1732800804698660-521: The postal town for the community of Llantwit Fardre under the CF38 postcode district, although the area is not considered part of Pontypridd. Pontypridd 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 Brecon . Although initial expansion in the valleys occurred at Treforest due to
690-487: The same Act. The principal areas of Wales are divided entirely into communities. Unlike in England, where unparished areas exist, no part of Wales is outside a community, even in urban areas . Most, but not all, communities are administered by community councils , which are equivalent to English parish councils in terms of their powers and the way they operate. Welsh community councils may call themselves town councils unilaterally and may have city status granted by
720-741: The same route. Pontypridd is twinned with Nürtingen , Baden-Württemberg , Germany. Initial contact was made between them in 1965, with a visit by Côr Meibion Pontypridd Welsh male voice Choir to a choir called Liederkranz ("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
750-517: The site of the tram shed buildings. Neighbouring villages are Hawthorn , Treforest and Glyntaff . The village is split into two electoral wards: the lower, largely historic part of the village is in Hawthorn Ward along with the settlement of Upper Boat , which comprises some of the nearby Treforest Estate , while the largely social housing of the estates of upper Rhydyfelin are in the ward of Rhydyfelen Central and Ilan. The original name
780-543: The slower speed of the River Taff at that point, the establishment of better bridge building meant a natural flow of power to Pontypridd. 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 Taff Vale Railway , which at its peak meant
810-551: The urban areas of the cities of Cardiff , Swansea and Newport do not have community councils. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census , there were 869 communities in Wales. 84 percent, or more than 730, have a council. They vary in size from Rhayader with an area of 13,945 hectares (34,460 acres) to Cefn Fforest with an area of 64 hectares (160 acres). They ranged in population from Barry with 45,053 recorded inhabitants to Baglan Bay with no permanent residents. The twenty-two principal area councils are required to review
840-747: The valleys. Due to the restrictive geography, only parcels and mail were handled at Pontypridd. Heavy freight went to Treforest . 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. A tram service began on 6 March 1905 from Cilfynydd through Pontypridd to Treforest. It gave way on 18 September 1930 to trolleybuses , which on 31 January 1957 were replaced by buses following
870-722: Was Rhydfelen, and the version "Rhydyfelin" is believed to be a corruption. Rhydyfelin was once served by two railway stations: one on the Cardiff Railway, and one on the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway. After the Grouping , the former Cardiff Railway halt became Rhydyfelin Low Level Halt and the halt of the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway became Rhydyfelin High Level Halt. The halts closed in 1931 and 1953 respectively. The Church of St Luke
900-670: Was established at Rhydyfelin in 1962. It closed in 2006 when it was relocated to Church Village and renamed Garth Olwg. Schools in Rhydyfelin include Cardinal Newman RC School (Roman Catholic), Hawthorn High School (English medium), Heol-Y-Celyn Primary School (Welsh and English medium). It is the former home of Coleg Morgannwg (English medium further education college) and Glantâf infants school (English medium). Pontypridd Pontypridd ( / ˌ p ɒ n t ɪ ˈ p r iː ð / PON -tih- PREEDH , Welsh: [ˌpɔntəˈpriːð] ), colloquially referred to as Ponty ,
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