97-519: Pentrebach ( Welsh pronunciation: [ˌpɛntrɛˈbɑːχ] , sometimes written Pentre-Bach , literally: small village ) is a village in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough , Wales and is formed from the original settlements of Lower Pentrebach, Tai-bach and Duffryn. It lies on the east side of the River Taff opposite Abercanaid , south of Merthyr and north of Troedyrhiw . To the east of
194-414: A Royal Commission recommended that the town's county borough status should be abolished. The fortunes of Merthyr revived temporarily during World War II , as war-related industry was established in the area. In the post-war years the local economy became increasingly reliant on light manufacturing , often providing employment for women rather than men. In 1987, the iron foundry , all that remained of
291-529: A branch of the Taff Vale Railway over the river to Albion Colliery at Cilfynydd . Just to the south is White or Berw Bridge, designed by Pontypridd Urban District Council's surveyor, P R A Willoughby. It was built in 1907, aided by L G Mouchel & Partners, who pioneered the use of reinforced concrete, and the 115-foot (35 m) span over the river was the longest arch in Britain using this material when it
388-427: A chapel, Jerusalem Chapel, Greenfield School and an Integrated Children's Centre. The mountain above Pentrebach has become popular with hang glider pilots in recent years. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Merthyr Tydfil County Borough ( Welsh : Bwrdeistref Sirol Merthyr Tudful ) is a county borough (since 1908) in the south-east of Wales . In 2022, it had an estimated population of 58,883, making it
485-541: A clay core. The clay had to be imported, and for this purpose a private branch line was built from the Brecon and Merthyr Tydfil Junction Railway near Torpantau railway station . The contract for the work was given to William Jones of Neath, and the project was completed in 1884. Now decommissioned, the water level when the reservoir was full was at 1,413 feet (431 m) above Ordnance Datum , and it held 74 million imperial gallons (340 Ml). The Upper Neuadd Reservoir
582-502: A combination of the ruthless collection of debts, frequent wage reductions when the value of iron periodically fell, and the imposition of truck shops . Some workers were paid in specially minted coins or credit notes, known as "truck" which could only be exchanged at shops owned by their employers. Many of the workers objected to both the price and quality of the goods sold in these shops. Some 7,000 to 10,000 workers marched and, for four days, magistrates and ironmasters were under siege in
679-523: A notable collection of Egyptian tomb artefacts, including several sarcophagi . On 21 October 1966 a colliery tip slid down a mountain at Aberfan , 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Merthyr, covering the village school and causing the Aberfan disaster . In 1992, while testing a new angina treatment in Merthyr Tydfil, researchers discovered that the new drug had erection-stimulating side effects for some of
776-399: A single span of 55 feet (16.8 m) and a width of 14 feet (4.3 m). It carries a date plaque stating it was built in 1811, but that probably refers to an earlier wooden bridge, and the main arch was rebuilt in 1993. The river turns to the east to flow around the southern edge of Treharris , and then in a large loop around higher ground on which is Goitre-Coed. Three listed bridges cross
873-448: A small prayer hall. The charming Merthyr Synagogue was consecrated in 1875 and a cemetery at Cefn-Coed was established in the 1860s. During the first few decades of the 19th century, the ironworks at Dowlais and Cyfarthfa continued to expand and at their peak were the most productive ironworks in the world. 50,000 tons of rails left just one ironworks in 1844, to enable expansion of railways across Russia to Siberia . At its peak,
970-556: A span of 63 feet (19.2 m) and is one of the earliest railway bridges, but was in poor condition in 2002, as is the Victoria Bridge, which was also rebuilt in 1815. Continuing to the south-west, the river is crossed by the A472 and A470 roads, and at Abercynon is crossed by the B4275 road. Immediately to the south of the bridge was an aqueduct carrying the defunct Glamorganshire Canal over
1067-467: A water level at 1,506 feet (459 m), it was one of a very small number of artificial lakes built above the 1,500-foot (457 m) contour. The dam had a small tower to the west, and a larger one to the east, below which a tunnel outlet built in Piranesi style sat at the base of the dam. Neuadd House, built as part of the reservoir project in 1896, is just downstream from the dam. An octagonal building at
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#17328555281911164-497: A weir between them. Nant Rhyd-y-car joins on the west bank at Cae-draw, just before the A4102 crosses. As it approaches Abercanaid Industrial Estate, the railway from Merthyr Tydfil railway station joins the east bank of the river and runs parallel to it for much of its length. It curves around the eastern edge of Abercanaid , below which it is crossed by the A4060 road bridge. At Troed-y-rhiw
1261-607: Is grade II* listed as its history and architecture surpass that of most other railway viaducts in Wales. On the west bank are the remains of a leat, constructed in 1766 for the Cyfarthfa Ironworks . It is fed by a stone weir with a cast iron sluice. Parts of the leat are cut into solid rock, and parts have stone walls and buttresses. The river is joined by the Taf Fechan near Cyfarthfa Castle . The Taf Fechan rises immediately to
1358-406: Is 92 feet (28 m) high and 420 feet (128 m) long. Just to the south of the viaduct is Pont-sarn, a stone bridge built in 1864 after the previous wooden one collapsed. This occurred because the parishes of Merthyr and Vaynor were supposed to maintain it jointly, but could not agree, and so it became dilapidated. There were proposals to widen it in 1955, but the plans were withdrawn when there
1455-410: Is a large funnel with convex sides and concrete ribs. Both are grade II listed, together with the dam and a lattice steel bridge. The filter house, with its twelve rapid gravity filter beds, which have been little altered since 1923, is also listed, as are the turbine house, which controlled how much water flowed over the weir, and the compensation basin below that, which is used to regulate the flow in
1552-415: Is a significant proportion of the community who are long-term unemployed . In Britain today, Merthyr Tydfil: A Channel 4 programme rated Merthyr Tydfil as the third worst place to live in Britain in 2006 following areas of London. However, in the 2007 edition of the same programme, Merthyr had 'improved' to fifth worst place to live. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council is the governing body for
1649-645: Is also known for its thriving music scene. The county borough has produced several bands which have achieved national success, including The Blackout from Heolgerrig and Midasuno from Troedyrhiw . Since 2011 Cyfarthfa Park has now also become the home of the Merthyr Rock Festival, and from 2009 until 2012 a weekend Welsh language music festival, Bedroc, was held at Bedlinog , featuring major Welsh language acts, together with local artists including Welsh language activist Jamie Bevan with bands Y Betti Galws and Y Gweddillion (The Remnants). The County Borough
1746-604: Is home to Parc Taff Bargoed and the Summit Centre (formerly Welsh International Climbing Centre). Settlements of interest include Bedlinog , Quakers Yard , Nelson , Trelewis , and Treharris . Road improvements mean the county borough is increasingly a commuter location and has shown some of the highest house price growth in the UK. Regular rail services operate from Merthyr Tydfil railway station , through stations at Pentrebach , Troedyrhiw , Merthyr Vale and Quakers Yard in
1843-656: Is joined by the Afon Rhondda . From Pontypridd, it runs roughly south before arriving at the northern boundary of the city of Cardiff . In Cardiff, the natural course of the river was changed during the 19th century; from Cardiff Castle it now follows an artificial riverbed west of where it previously flowed, following a path through Bute Park , past the Cardiff Arms Park and the Principality Stadium . The Taff flows into Cardiff Bay , an artificial lake created by
1940-810: Is located in a South Wales Valleys environment overlapping into the south of the Brecon Beacons National Park, and this, along with the area's rich history, means it has huge potential for tourism in Wales . National Cycle Route 8 passes through the County Borough. The Brecon Mountain Railway is located within the Brecon Beacons National Park, in the north of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, starting at Pant and currently running to Dolygaer (though there are plans to extend it further). The Fforest Fawr Geopark , designated in 2005 in respect of
2037-566: Is now Merthyr Tydfil County Borough was situated close to reserves of iron ore , coal , limestone and water, making it an ideal site for ironworks . Small-scale iron working and coal mining had been carried out at some places in South Wales since the Tudor period , but in the wake of the Industrial Revolution the demand for iron led to the rapid expansion of Merthyr's iron operations in
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#17328555281912134-603: The Bedlinog ward from Gelligaer Urban District. Civil parishes in Wales were replaced at the same time with communities , with the borough of Merthyr Tydfil initially comprising three communities in 1974: Merthyr Tydfil (covering the area of the pre-1974 county borough), Vaynor, and Bedlinog. The communities within the borough were reorganised in 1983, when the Merthyr Tydfil community was split into ten communities: Cyfarthfa , Dowlais , Gurnos , Merthyr Vale , Pant , Park , Penydarren , Town , Treharris , and Troed-y-rhiw . Of
2231-454: The Brecon and Merthyr Railway , Vale of Neath Railway , Taff Vale Railway and Great Western Railway . They often shared routes to enable access to coal mines and ironworks through rugged country, which presented great engineering challenges. In 1804, the world's first railway steam locomotive , "The Iron Horse", developed by the Cornish engineer Richard Trevithick , pulled 10 tons of iron on
2328-579: The Candy Group ) has its registered office in the town and remained a major employer until it transferred production abroad in March 2009, resulting in the loss of 337 jobs after the closure of its factory. Penydarren Country XI Cricket Club is the oldest established cricket club in the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. Penydarren Country XI Cricket Club was founded in 1971 and currently play at
2425-691: The Cefn Coed Viaduct , the Nant Ffrwd , a tributary that runs eastward in a deep wooded gorge before flowing into the Taf Fawr above the confluence with the Taf Fechan , emerges into the river from a deep, narrow gorge. The Taff continues south through the centre of Merthyr Tydfil , where it is joined by the Nant Morlais which emerges at Abermorlais from a culvert in the east bank. Just south of Merthyr weir,
2522-543: The Ffos-y-fran Opencast mine . Merthyr Tydfil has a long and varied industrial heritage , and was one of the seats of the Industrial Revolution . Since the end of the Second World War , much of this has declined, with the closure of long-established coal mining collieries, and both steel and ironworks . Despite recent improvements, some parts of the County Borough remain economically disadvantaged, and there
2619-538: The Local Government Act 1894 , local boards such as the Merthyr Tydfil Local Board were reconstituted as urban districts with effect from 31 December 1894. Shortly afterwards the new council commissioned the construction of Merthyr Tydfil Town Hall , which opened in 1898. The Merthyr Tydfil Urban District was elevated to municipal borough status in 1905. Three years later, in 1908, the borough
2716-732: The Nant Rhydycar joins. South of Merthyr, the Taff begins to meander its way between Pentrebach and Abercanaid and through Troed-y-rhiw , Merthyr Vale and Aberfan towards Quakers Yard . Here, the Taff Bargoed , Nant Mafon and then down into Abercynon in the Cynon Valley where the Afon Cynon merge with the Taff and, slightly further downstream the Nant Clydach joins. At Pontypridd it
2813-558: The River Cynon , River Rhondda , Bargoed Taf and Nant Clydach . It flows through Pontypridd and through to Taff's Well , the site of Wales' only thermal spring. It flows underneath the M4 Motorway , before turning southeastward and flowing past the Cardiff suburbs of Radyr , Whitchurch , Llandaff , Pontcanna , the city centre and Grangetown , before emptying into Cardiff Bay , near to
2910-417: The 19th century fabric remains, and is thought to be the earliest multi-span railway bridge still in existence in the world. Two more modern road bridges are located on its south side, and further downstream is Castle Bridge, a narrow structure with three arches dating from the early 19th century. It formerly carried a road, but is now only used by pedestrians. Next there is a large, crescent-shaped weir, which
3007-689: The B4285 Bridge Street crosses, and the Afon Tâf High School if located on the east bank. A little further south, Ynysowen Community Primary School is on the west bank and the river curves around the eastern edge of Aberfan , part of the Merthyr Vale community. Below Aberfan, the river enters a wooded section, and the remains of the Merthyr Tramroad are sandwiched between the river and the modern railway. The Merthyr or Penydarren Tramroad
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3104-460: The Castle Hotel, and the protesters effectively controlled Merthyr. Soldiers, called in from Brecon , clashed with the rioters, and several on both sides were killed. Despite the hope that they could negotiate with the owners, the skilled workers lost control of the movement. Several of the supposed leaders of the riots were arrested. One of them, Richard Lewis, popularly known as Dic Penderyn ,
3201-441: The County Borough to Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central . Public transport links to Cardiff are being improved. Modern-day Merthyr relies on a combination of public sector and manufacturing and service sector companies to provide employment. The Welsh Assembly Government has recently opened a major office just outside the town centre near a large telecommunications call centre (T-Mobile). Hoover (now part of
3298-620: The Dowlais Iron Company operated 18 blast furnaces and employed 7,300 people, and by 1857 had constructed the world's most powerful rolling mill. The companies were mainly owned by two dynasties, the Guest and Crawshay families. One of the famous members of the Guest family was Lady Charlotte Guest who translated the Mabinogion into English from its original Welsh . The families also supported
3395-659: The Evostick Southern Football League and play home games at Penydarren Park . The club had their proudest moment in 1987, when having won the Welsh Cup and qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup , they beat Italian football team Atalanta 2–1 at Penydarren Park. The town was once home to a fully professional Football League club, Merthyr Town F.C. , which folded in the 1930s and Merthyr Tydfil AFC were founded in 1945. The year of 2008 marked
3492-590: The Hoover Electric Washing Machine, and at one point Hoover was the largest employer in the borough. Later the Sinclair C5 was built the same factory. Several other companies built factories, including the aviation components company Teddington Aircraft Controls, which opened in 1946. The Teddington factory closed in the early 1970s. The local Merthyr Tydfil Institute for the Blind, founded in 1923, remains
3589-488: The ICI Rifle Fields Ground. The club's most successful players are Paul Crump and Kerry Morgan . Merthyr is particularly known for its boxers , both amateur and professional . Famous professional pugilists from the town include: Johnny Owen , Howard Winstone and Eddie Thomas . In sporting terms, Merthyr is widely recognised for the town's football team, Merthyr Town . 'The Martyrs' currently compete in
3686-461: The Merthyr Road. Locomotives had to tip their chimneys while going through this tunnel due to the tunnel clearance. Pentrebach has its own railway station . This opened in 1886 on the standard gauge Taff Vale Railway which runs from Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil alongside the River Taff . The original purpose of the railway was to carry iron ore to Cardiff Docks . In 1862, on the south side of
3783-531: The Pontmorlais area into a cultural quarter. With references to the 1831 Merthyr Rising and the red bricks of its facade, a new arts and creative industries centre was launched in Merthyr Tydfil Town Hall on Saint David's Day 2014 under the name "Redhouse Cymru". Merthyr has several historical and heritage groups: Merthyr Tydfil's Central Library, which is in a prominent position in the centre of
3880-466: 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 Channel . The river supports several species of migratory fish , including salmon , sewins (sea trout), and eels . From its confluence at Cefn-coed-y-cymmer, the river flows south, passing several towns. It picks up a few tributaries, such as
3977-708: The Taf Fechan Water Supply Board, uniting the Rhymney Valley Water Board, the Pontypridd and Rhondda Joint Water Board, the Urban District Councils of Aberdare and Llantrisant & Llantwit Fardre, and Merthyr Tydfil Corporation. The reservoir was opened by Lord Buckland of Bwlch on 21 July 1927. The valve tower is octagonal and built in Gothic style, with a copper-covered spire. The outflow
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4074-456: The Taf Fechan below the reservoir. Below the works is Pont Sticill, a single span bridge with a datestone showing it was built in 1825, which gives its name to the village. Below Pontsticill the river forms the boundary of the Brecon Beacons National Park and descends into a wooded gorge, where it is crossed by the seven-arched Pontsarn Viaduct built for the Brecon and Merthyr Railway in 1866. It
4171-569: The Zoar Chapel and the adjacent vestry building in Pontmorlais into a community arts venue: Canolfan Soar and Theatr Soar, who now run a whole programme of performance events and activities through both the Welsh and English languages, together with a cafe and book shop, specialising in local interest and Welsh language books and CDs. Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association, working in partnership with Canolfan Soar, has been successful in raising funding to turn
4268-564: The area's outstanding geological and cultural heritage, also falls within the northern border of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough. The borough was awarded European funding as part of the Interreg Collabor8 project, and will be working in partnership with the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority to promote the region across Europe. The Taff Bargoed Valley is increasingly becoming an area for outdoor activities and
4365-574: The area. It consists of 33 councillors representing 11 wards . The current Member of Parliament for the Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency is Gerald Jones MP, while the Senedd member is Dawn Bowden MS. The county borough is divided into twelve communities . Only one of the communities has a community council, being Bedlinog (also covering Trelewis ), in the Taff Bargoed Valley to
4462-447: The built-up area of Swansea , covering several parishes, then exceeded 10,000). By 1851 Merthyr had overtaken Swansea to become the largest town in Wales with 46,378 inhabitants. By this time, Irish immigrants made up 10% of the local population, and there were substantial numbers of English , together with some Spaniards and Italians . A Jewish community was established some time after 1841, and by 1851, they were able to establish
4559-410: The business. His House was later used as an old people's home, and today has been converted into a Brewers Fayre Restaurant with a Premier Inn attached. The original Merthyr Tramroad , built in 1802, ran alongside the site of the modern day village, on its way from penydarren to Abercynon , though very little of the village had been built at that time. A tunnel still exists, which can be visited on
4656-713: The centenary of football having been played at Penydarren Park (1908 – 2008). After going into liquidation in 2010, the club switched grounds to. Treharris Athletic Western F.C. play at the Athletic Ground in Treharris. The club play in the Welsh Football League Division Two . Taff Valley The River Taff ( Welsh : Afon Taf ) is a river in Wales . It rises in the Brecon Beacons as two rivers,
4753-456: The chain, did not start until 1911, and again, its capacity was increased by an Act obtained in 1909 to 1,260 million imperial gallons (5,700 Ml), almost double that specified in 1884. Impounding of water began on 23 June 1926, and the reservoir was full by November, but formal commissioning did not take place until May 1927. Once built, it supplied 7.75 million imperial gallons (35.2 Ml) of compensation water per day to maintain
4850-553: The east in a large bend. The A4058 dual carriageway crosses the bend at an angle, and as the river resumes its southward course, it is crossed by Machine Bridge, which is also known as Pont y Doctor, as it was built by Dr Richard Griffiths in 1809, as part of a tramway to carry coal from the Hafod Uchaf pit to the Glamorganshire Canal. It has three arches, and was widened around 1910, in an early use of reinforced concrete. Some of
4947-424: The east of the borough. The Bedlinog community covers the area that was transferred to the borough of Merthyr Tydfil in 1974 from Gelligaer Urban District under the Local Government Act 1972 . Merthyr Tydfil was an ancient parish within the county of Glamorgan . As well as the village of Merthyr Tydfil itself, the parish covered much of the upper Taff Valley , including settlements stretching from Dowlais in
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#17328555281915044-514: The east side of the Lower Neuadd dam is also a listed structure. The river continues southwards through a steep-sided wooded valley and is crossed by Pont Cwmyfedwen, an early- to mid-19th century single span bridge before it reaches Pentwyn Reservoir , the oldest of the four reservoirs. It was built by the Merthyr Board of Health between 1859 and February 1863, and the consulting engineer for
5141-449: The establishment of schools for their workers. Thomas Carlyle visited Merthyr town in 1850, writing that it was filled with such "unguided, hard-worked, fierce, and miserable-looking sons of Adam I never saw before. Ah me ! It is like a vision of Hell, and will never leave me, that of these poor creatures broiling, all in sweat and dirt, amid their furnaces, pits, and rolling mills." The Merthyr Rising of 1831 were precipitated by
5238-460: The flow in the Taf Fawr, and working on the upper area first meant that the Corporation only had to supply 3 million imperial gallons (14 Ml) per day of compensation flow until work started on the lower area. Cantref Reservoir , the lower of the two in the upper area, was constructed first. Work began on 4 May 1886 and was completed on 14 September 1892. Construction of Beacons Reservoir ,
5335-638: The flow in the river. Below Llwyn-on, the river is crossed by the A470 Brecon to Merthyr road , the A465 Heads of the Valleys road , and as it passes to the south-west of Cefn-coed-y-cymmer , the Cefn Railway Viaduct. which consists of 15 arches built on a curve. It was to have been built of stone, but a masons strike in 1866 resulted in the Brecon and Merthyr Railway buying 800,000 bricks to complete it. It
5432-533: The former Dowlais ironworks, finally closed, marking the end of 228 years continuous production on one site. Immediately following the Second World War , several large companies set up in Merthyr. In October 1948 the American-owned Hoover Company opened a large washing machine factory and depot in the village of Pentrebach , a few miles south of the town. The factory was purpose-built to manufacture
5529-417: The healthy volunteers in the trial study. This discovery would go on to form the basis for Viagra . In 2006 inventor Howard Stapleton, based in Merthyr Tydfil, developed the technology that has given rise to the recent mosquitotone or Teen Buzz phenomenon. In 2006, a large open cast coal mine , which will extract 10 million tonnes of coal over 15 years, was authorised just east of Dowlais as part of
5626-403: The highest in the chain, began shortly afterwards, in April 1893, in advance of the Corporation obtaining a second Act of Parliament to increase the capacity of the reservoir and to move the dam further upstream, where the foundations would be better, in the light of geological investigation. Impounding of the water began on 17 September 1897. Construction of Llwyn-on Reservoir , the third in
5723-514: The local area and abroad. They include Ynysowen Male Choir, Treharris Male Voice Choir, Dowlais Male Voice Choir, Merthyr Tydfil Ladies Choir, Cantorion Cyfarthfa, and the mixed-voice choir Con Voce. Merthyr Tydfil County Borough has held many cultural events. Local poets and writers hold poetry evenings in the town, and music festivals are organised at Cyfarthfa Castle and Park. With this in mind, Menter Iaith Merthyr Tudful (The Merthyr Tydfil Welsh Language Initiative) have successfully transformed
5820-400: The loop. The first was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1840–41, and consists of six arches on a slight curve. It carried the single track Taff Vale Railway , but was doubled in width within 20 years, to enable it to carry twin tracks. The second was part of the Merthyr Tramroad, and was built in 1815 after the original wooden bridge collapsed into the river when a train crossed it. It has
5917-415: The main route of the Taff was around Cardiff Castle and down what is now Westgate Street , with the lands where Cardiff Arms Park and the Millennium Stadium are now sited tidal flats which were prone to flood. Isambard Kingdom Brunel 's solution was to divert the Taff to the west, creating a larger and safer site for the station. The station was opened by the South Wales Railway in 1850. Underneath
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#17328555281916014-408: The momentum that led to the Reform Act . The Chartism movement, which did not consider these reforms extensive enough, was subsequently active in Merthyr. The steel and coal industries began to decline after World War I , and by the 1930s, they had all closed. By 1932, more than 80% of men in Dowlais were unemployed; Merthyr experienced an out-migration of 27,000 people in the 1920s and 1930s, and
6111-425: The mouth of the River Ely . The Taf Fawr rises below the peak of Corn Du , south-west of Pen y Fan and soon flows in a generally southerly direction through a steep-sided valley, which was identified by Cardiff's Borough Engineer John Avery Brandon Williams as the best source of water for the town when he assessed all possible sources of water for the newly formed Cardiff Corporation Waterworks in 1881. A bill
6208-437: The newly constructed Merthyr Tramway from Penydarren to Abercynon . A replica of this now resides in the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea. The tramway passed through what is arguably the oldest railway tunnel in the world, part of which can still be seen alongside Pentrebach Road at the lower end of the town. The 1801 census recorded the population of Merthyr as 7705, the most populous parish in Wales (however,
6305-456: The north to Aberfan and Treharris in the south. It was governed by its parish vestry , in the same way as most rural parishes. As the area rapidly developed during the industrial revolution, it was decided that a more formal type of local government was required, particularly to oversee sanitation and public health in the parish. The parish was made a Local Board District on 19 June 1850, governed by an elected local board of health. Under
6402-412: The north. What is now Merthyr Tydfil town centre was originally little more than a village. An ironworks existed in the parish in the Elizabethan period , but it did not survive beyond the early 1640s at the latest. In 1754, it was recorded that the valley was almost entirely populated by shepherds . Farm produce was traded at many markets and fairs, notably the Waun Fair above Dowlais . What
6499-402: The northern half of the County Borough. The Dowlais Ironworks was founded by what would become the Dowlais Iron Company in 1759, making it the first major works in the area. It was followed in 1765 by the Cyfarthfa Ironworks . The Plymouth Ironworks were initially in the same ownership as Cyfarthfa, but passed after the death of Anthony Bacon to Richard Hill in 1788. The fourth ironworks
6596-401: The oldest active manufacturer in the town. The Gurnos housing estate was established by Merthyr Tydfil Council in the early 1950s and expanded over many years. Cyfarthfa, the former home of the ironmaster William Crawshay II , an opulent mock-castle, is now a museum. It houses a number of paintings of the town, a large collection of artefacts from the town's Industrial Revolution period, and
6693-448: The project was Thomas Hawksley , but despite this, the dam was built over a geological fault, which led to large volumes of leakage. This leakage was one of the main factors that led to the construction of the Lower Neuadd Reservoir. Remedial work was carried out at regular intervals, but never seemed to last for long. Repairs undertaken in 1912/13 reduced the level of leakage from 11 to 2 million imperial gallons (50 to 9 Ml) which
6790-444: The proposal. County boroughs were abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , when a system of upper-tier counties and lower-tier districts was applied across Wales. On 1 April 1974 Merthyr Tydfil became a lower-tier district with borough status within the new county of Mid Glamorgan . The new borough was also given a larger territory than the old county borough, gaining the parish of Vaynor from Brecknockshire and
6887-401: The river from the Pontsticill Water Treatment Works, which United Utilities operate on behalf of Dwr Cymru Welsh Water . The pollution turned the water white for at least 3 miles (5 km) downstream of the works and killed approximately 23,000 fish, including wild brown trout, bullheads , stickleback and pike , and a large number of invertebrates. Environment Agency Wales estimated that
6984-485: The river would take six to twelve years to recover. The trout population had resumed breeding by 2009. Just below the confluence of the Taf Fawr and Taf Fechan, the river is crossed by the Pont-y-Cafnau tramroad bridge. This was probably the first iron railway bridge to be built, and was unusual in that it had three levels. The main deck carried the 4 ft ( 1,219 mm )-gauge Gurnos Tramway, beneath which there
7081-405: The river. The Afon Cynon joins on the right bank, and close to the junction is spanned by a skewed railway bridge with two arches of unequal sizes. The valley then widens, and the river begins to meander. On the northern edge of Glyncoch , the river is joined by the Nant Clydach on its right bank, and to the south of the settlement is crossed by a three-bay girder viaduct, built in 1885 to carry
7178-452: The smallest local authority in Wales by population. It is located in the historic county of Glamorgan and takes its name from the town with the same name . The county borough consists of the northern part of the Taff Valley and the smaller neighbouring Taff Bargoed Valley . It borders the counties of Rhondda Cynon Taf to the west, Caerphilly County Borough to the east, and Powys to
7275-485: The south of Pen y Fan and runs southwards through three reservoirs and a former fourth, now abandoned. Whereas the Taf Fawr was the preserve of Cardiff Corporation, the Taf Fechan was used to supply water to Merthyr Tydfil Corporation. Of the Upper Neuadd and Lower Neuadd reservoirs, the lower one was built first, authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1876. Like those on the Taf Fawr, it had an earth embankment with
7372-795: The town, is a Carnegie library . Merthyr Tydfil hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1881 and 1901 and the national youth Eisteddfod in 1987. Since 2005 a free multi-cultural festival, Global Village, has been held in Cyfarthfa Park, featuring music, dance, literature, arts and crafts, food and information stalls, workshops and performances from cultures from across the globe, including African music and dance , Thai dance , Japanese Taiko drumming , Native American Hoop Dance , didgeridoo music, Welsh harp , Irish folk music , Welsh folk dance , Indian dance and music , Portuguese Fado singing and much more. Merthyr, like nearby Aberdare ,
7469-460: The twelve communities in the borough, only Bedlinog has a community council. Further local government reorganisation in 1996 saw Wales divided into unitary authorities, called either counties or county boroughs. Merthyr Tydfil became a county borough again on 1 April 1996, taking over county-level functions from the abolished Mid Glamorgan County Council . Merthyr Tydfil County Borough is home to several established choirs who perform frequently in
7566-463: The valley floor, and the reservoir was designed to hold 3,290 million imperial gallons (15,000 Ml), although this was subsequently increased a little by raising the water level by 12 feet (3.7 m). Completion was delayed by the onset of the First World War, and when work resumed in 1922, the Corporation used direct labour. The Taf Fechan Water Supply Act had been passed in 1921, creating
7663-593: The village lies the Mynydd Cilfach-yr-Encil which rises up to 445 metres (1,460 ft). Pentrebach is part of the Plymouth electoral ward which covers Pentrebach, Abercanaid and Troedyrhiw . The village was founded at the time that John Guest built the Plymouth Ironworks in 1763. The name Guest became part of the Guest, Keen and Nettelfold company ( GKN ). In 1818 Anthony Hill took over ownership of
7760-605: The village on a site where the South Duffryn Colliery was located. This plant manufactured Forklift and at one time employed circa 500 people. The plant closed in 2013. but the site has since been taken over by U.S. defence contractor General Dynamics to produce armoured vehicles for the British Army . Pentrebach has two clubs: The Hills Plymouth Cricket Club, and the Pentrebach working men's club . Pentrebach also has
7857-404: The village, The South Duffryn Colliery was opened with two shafts which were 250 metres (820 ft) deep. At the height of the production there were some 1300 men employed there. An opencast mine was also located on the mountainside above the village. The Plymouth Ironworks closed in 1882 and the South Duffryn Colliery ceased production in 1940. After the war, new industries were attracted to
7954-523: The village. In 1945, the Kayser Bondor Factory opened making underwear, followed in 1948 by the establishment of the Hoover factory manufacturing washing machines. The factory later produced the Sinclair C5 battery-powered three-wheeler car. On Friday, 6 March 2009, Hoover confirmed that it was to cease production of washing machines and other laundry products at the factory. Linde set up a factory in
8051-483: The weir, including a casting house, a workshop, a tinning house, a smithy, a rolling mill, and the retaining wall for the leat. The leat had seven sluices with gates to feed the works, but all have been bricked up. In the early 1840s the South Wales Railway was trying to find a suitable site for a railway station, but the area that is now Cardiff Central railway station was prone to flooding. At this point
8148-522: The world in its heyday. The river runs through the western edges of Merthyr Tydfil , where it is crossed by modern bridges carrying the A4054 and A4102 roads, and by Jackson's Bridge, an early 19th century single span structure that carried the Dowlais tramway and a road. Two modern bridges in central Merthyr Tydfil carry the northbound carriageway of the A4054 across the river to its west bank and back again, with
8245-453: Was Penydarren built by Francis Homfray and Samuel Homfray after 1784. The demand for iron was fuelled by the Royal Navy , who needed cannon for their ships, and later by the railways. In 1802, Admiral Lord Nelson visited Merthyr to witness cannon being made. Several railway companies established routes that linked Merthyr with coastal ports or other parts of Britain. They included
8342-462: Was an iron trough to carry water from the Taf Fechan leat, while a second water supply was carried in a wooden launder above the tramway tracks. The cast iron structure was manufactured at the Cyfarthfa Ironworks. On the west bank of the river are the remains of the ironworks, which began operating in 1765. The artifacts include seven blast furnaces, which formed part of the largest ironworks in
8439-432: Was built in 1793, and was the scene of the first passenger carrying train journey in the world, when Richard Trevithick 's high pressure steam locomotive pulled wagons containing 5 tons of iron ore and seventy passengers in 1804. The tramway ceased operation around 1880, and this section, which is a scheduled monument, is particularly well preserved. The river is crossed by an old farm access bridge at Pont y Gwaith, with
8536-454: Was built in 1834–5 to provide water power to the Treforest tinplate works . The sluice to control the flow of water to the works is at the western end of the weir, and probably dates from a little later. The works continued in operation until 1939, and a fish ladder was added in 2003, to allow migrating fish to access the upper river. Many of the building still exist, some distance to the south of
8633-528: Was constructed in 1825. Its main function was to provide the ironworks with a good supply of water, but it also fed the ornamental lake at Cyfarthfa Castle through a syphon. After passing under the A465 and the A4054 roads, the Taf Fechan merges with the Taf Fawr at the wooded confluence that gives Cefn-coed-y-cymmer its name. The river holds a large population of wild brown trout , many of which were killed in 2006 when three tonnes of aluminium sulphate spilled into
8730-401: Was constructed. The next crossing is Pontypridd Bridge, a high-arched single span of 140 feet (43 m). It was built in 1756 by an Independent minister and self-taught civil engineer called William Edwards, and was his third attempt, after his two earlier bridges collapsed. It features three round openings in its spandrels, a device he used to relieve the pressure on an unusually wide arch. It
8827-494: Was elevated to county borough status, taking over the county-level services previously provided by Glamorgan County Council in the area. This was despite protests from the southern part of the borough, where it was claimed that links were stronger with Pontypridd . In 1935, a Royal Commission argued that Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, then heavily burdened by the cost of maintaining many unemployed people, should be abolished and merged with Glamorgan. The county council refused
8924-468: Was hanged for the crime of stabbing a soldier named Donald Black in the leg. Lewis became known as the first local working-class martyr. Alexander Cordell 's low-brow novel The Fire People is set in this period. A more serious political history of these events, The Merthyr Rising was written by the Merthyr-born Marxist writer Professor Gwyn A. Williams in 1978. The rising helped create
9021-586: Was presented to Parliament in November 1883, and despite serious opposition from riparian landowners, Royal Assent was obtained for the Cardiff Corporation Act 1884 on 7 August. It allowed the corporation to build three reservoirs. The catchment of the upper Taf Fawr was 10,400 acres (42 km ) but it was split into an upper area of 4,000 acres (16 km ) and a lower one of 6,400 acres (26 km ). Any works had to provide compensation water to maintain
9118-591: Was rather larger, and was authorised by an Act of Parliament obtained in 1895. The dam which is 75 feet (23 m) high was constructed of masonry, and some 100,000 tons were carried along an extended railway to the construction site. Although the contractors Holme and King of Liverpool were employed to do much of the preparatory work, the building of the dam was carried out by direct labour, with Merthyr Corporation's surveyor, Thomas F Harvey, acting as resident engineer. Work began in 1896 and finished in 1902. It held 340 million imperial gallons (1,500 Ml), and with
9215-483: Was repaired by Edward David and Thomas Evan in 1798, and is attached to the newer Victoria Bridge on its south side. On the east bank is Ynysangharad Park , where there is an Arts and Crafts lido, designed in the 1920s and opened in 1923. It is now disused, but is grade II listed, as it is one of the earliest outdoor lidos in South Wales. On the west bank, the river is joined by the Afon Rhondda , before it sweeps to
9312-455: Was stiff opposition from local people. Below the bridge, the river plunges into Pwll Glas or the Blue Pool. The river continues to flow south-westwards around the hamlet of Trefechan, and as it approaches Cefn-coed-y-cymmer , there is a tramway and leat on the east bank. The tramway was built in 1792, and was used to carry limestone to the Cyfarthfa Ironworks from Gurnos quarries, while the leat
9409-466: Was sufficient until Pontsticill Reservoir could be built to impound the leaking water. The corporation had obtained the Act of Parliament to authorise it in 1911, and awarded a contract to Sir Robert McAlpine & Sons on 16 June 1913. The contract price of £232,000 included various ancillary work including diverting the roads on both sides of the valley. The top of the earth dam was 110 feet (34 m) above
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