20-674: Dinas is a village near Tonypandy in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf , Wales. Dinas is often referred to as Dinas Rhondda to avoid confusion with Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan. The word dinas in Modern Welsh means "city", but here (as in Old and Middle Welsh more generally) it means "hill fort". Dinas is located in the lower Rhondda Valley about halfway between Treorchy and Pontypridd . Neighbouring settlements are Penygraig , Trealaw , Tonypandy , Cymmer and Porth . Dinas
40-530: Is the site of Dinas Lower ( Dinas Isaf/Dinas Ishaf ) Colliery, sunk by Walter Coffin in 1812 as the first deep coal mine in the Rhondda valley. This was later followed by the sinking of the Dinas Middle Colliery in 1832 along the southern banks of the river Rhondda Fawr, opposite Dinas Rhondda railway station . From here coal was carried by trams via Porth, Cymmer, and Trehafod to Pontypridd , where it
60-604: The Rhondda Fawr and the Rhondda Fach (respectively, the "big" and the "little" Rhondda). Despite these names, both tributaries are of similar length. Both valleys display the U-shape cross-sections typical of glaciated valleys , having been eroded during successive ice ages . They cut deeply into the thick South Wales Coal measures which comprise sandstones and mudstones and coal seams of Carboniferous age. The whole form of
80-476: The River Taff at Pontypridd . The mining industry had a catastrophic impact on the quality of the river with all the mine waters being pumped straight into the river with no treatment. For very long periods, probably more than a century, the river was continuously black with coal solids and little if anything could live in the river. This was compounded by the very basic sewage disposal arrangements which saw all
100-646: The Taff Vale Railway to Treherbert and Maerdy in 1856, the Rhondda grew as absentee landlords switched their interests from farming to mining. The Tonypandy riots of 1910 and 1911 were a series of violent confrontations between coal miners and police that took place at various locations in and around the Rhondda mines of the Cambrian Combine, a cartel of mining companies in South Wales . Tonypandy, unlike
120-463: 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 town was the scene of the 1910 Tonypandy riots . The community boundaries of Tonypandy are drawn relatively tightly around the central part of the urban area. According to the 2011 UK Census, the population of
140-635: The Athletic Ground, now known as "the Mid" . The pitch is notable as having hosted the first international match between the Wales and England rugby league teams on 20 April 1908. It was also used as the opening venue for the 1908–09 Kangaroo tour of Great Britain , when the visiting Australian rugby league team began its campaign with a match against Mid-Rhondda. When the Mid-Rhondda RLFC collapsed in 1909,
160-717: The Nant Clydach), Dinas and Porth where it joins its sister tributary. The Rhondda Fach rises about a mile to the east of the source of the Rhondda Fawr on the hills above Blaenrhondda in a marshy area between Mynydd Beili Glas and Mynydd Bwllfa at an elevation of 489m OD. The fledgling river is first contained in the Lluest-wen Reservoir before flowing down into Maerdy and then on through Ferndale , Tylorstown , Ynyshir to its confluence at Porth. The River Rhondda flows on past Trehafod to reach its confluence with
180-703: The Nant Garreg-lwyd and the Nant Melyn to form the Rhondda. The combined waters then continue descending sharply through a mountain gorge to the foot of Pen Pych. The river runs through Blaenrhondda where it is joined by the Nant y Gwair, and runs down the Rhondda Valley, ( Welsh : Cwm Rhondda ). The river then passes through a string of mining towns and villages including Treherbert , Treorchy , Pentre , Ton Pentre , Ystrad Rhondda , Llwynypia , Tonypandy (joined by
200-547: The committee refocused on creating an association football team. In 1912 Mid Rhondda F.C. was formed, winning the South League Second Division in 1919–20. In 1988 Tonypandy became a county electoral ward to Mid Glamorgan County Council , electing one county councillor in 1989 and 1993. Since 1995 Tonypandy has been a ward, coterminous with the community boundaries, which elects a county borough councillor to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council . In 2012
220-721: The community was 3,750. The Office for National Statistics defines a larger "Tonypandy built-up area" covering much of the Rhondda Fawr valley and the lower Rhondda Fach valley, which had a population of 62,545 in 2011. They also define a smaller "Tonypandy built-up area sub division" which had a population of 17,789. The town is served by Tonypandy railway station on the Rhondda Line . Tonypandy means fulling mill lea , from Welsh ton (archaic tonnau ) for lea, layland, pasture, grassland or unploughed land; pannu for fulling and tŷ for house (cf. pandy ). (See also Tonna .) The Tonypandy area contains several prehistoric sites,
SECTION 10
#1732887733936240-668: The electorate was 2,739. At every Rhondda Cynon Taf election the seat has been won by the Labour Party , apart from the 1999 election when then ward was won by Plaid Cymru . Between 2004 and 2017 the Labour councillor was Craig Middle and, since May 2017, the councillor has been Gareth Wyn Hughes. River Rhondda The River Rhondda ( Welsh : Afon Rhondda ) is a river in South Wales with two major tributaries, Rhondda Fawr (meaning big Rhondda ) and Rhondda Fach (meaning little Rhondda ). The river has two major tributaries ,
260-457: The main one being Mynydd y Gelli . Located to the north-west of the town, the remains of an Iron Age settlement Hen Dre'r Gelli lies on the slopes of Mynydd Y Gelli hill between Tonypandy and Gelli . Near the same location are several Bronze Age cairns . Tonypandy is also the site of one of two permanent Middle Ages fortifications found within the Rhondda Valley. Named Ynysygrug, it
280-452: The name 'Tonypandy' means the meadow of the fulling mill which was established there in 1838. "E. D. Lewis in his work The Rhondda Valleys provides us with an outline history of the mill that once stood in Tonypandy, and from which the town took its name". In the mid-19th century, the Rhondda began its industrial transformation after the successful excavation of coal. With the extension of
300-401: The river and its surrounding urbanisation has been dominated by coal mining and the communities that grew up to exploit the rich coal seams. Much of the valley has suffered severe subsidence because of the removal of coal from beneath the valley floor. The houses and streets have subsided with the result that river levels are, in parts, higher than the surrounding houses. In order to contain
320-435: The river and prevent flooding, walls have been built, sometimes across the ends of streets - these are known as "The Rhondda walls". The Rhondda Fawr has its source on the eastern side of Craig y Llyn south of Llyn Fawr in a spring called Ffynnon y Gwalciau at an elevation of about 544m OD. The main head stream, Nant Carn Moesen (or Nant Carfoesen) runs down a plateau slope for about a mile and drops steeply, joining with
340-452: The surrounding villages, then grew as a financial and social hub, providing services and amenities for the neighbouring communities. In the early part of the 20th century, Tonypandy was home to Mid-Rhondda RLFC , one of the first Welsh rugby league teams. Although surviving only one season, the club transformed into Mid-Rhondda AFC, one of the most notable association football teams the Rhondda has produced. Both Mid-Rhondda teams played at
360-448: Was a lesser motte and bailey earthwork defence consisting of a wooden tower surrounded by a small fortified courtyard. Built around the 12th or early 13th century, the remains of the fortification were mostly destroyed during railway construction works in the 19th century. The fortification was for many years wrongly thought to be the burial place of Rhys ap Tewdwr or a druidic worship site. The regional library service recounts that
380-480: Was conveyed by canal to Cardiff. In 1844 there was an explosion in the mine, the first major explosion to occur in the Rhondda Valleys, and twelve men and boys were killed. In 1869, a new shaft was opened in order to improve conditions in the pit. Ten years later another devastating explosion resulted in the death of 63 miners. The shaft was deepened in 1881 to reach lower seams with steam coal, but by 1887 production
400-423: Was declining and in 1893 production had ceased in both collieries. In 1841 the 4-mile long Rhondda branch line of the Taff Vale Railway was opened between Pontypridd and Dinas, eventually to be extended as far as Treherbert by 1856. Tonypandy Tonypandy ( / t ɒ n ə ˈ p æ n d i / , Welsh pronunciation: [tɔnəˈpandi] ) is a town , community and electoral ward located in
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