Abertridwr

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Abertridwr (Welsh = the meeting of three waters) is a village in the county borough of Caerphilly, situated 3 miles north-west of Caerphilly town.

There is an Abertridwr rugby team.

[edit] Mining

Like many villages and towns in the area, Abertridwr was previously a coal mining community. Windsor Colliery was opened in 1898 by the Windsor Colliery Co Ltd. It was connected underground to the colliery at Senghenydd for ventilation purposes.

On June 1, 1902, a platform collapsed in the mine, tipping nine men into 25 feet of water, which had gathered in the sump. Three managed to escape drowning by clinging onto floating debris, but the other six lost their lives.

In 1918 the mine employed 1,923 men; by 1945 this number had fallen to 850. During 1974 the colliery was linked with the Nantgarw colliery, with both working as one unit. The Windsor colliery part of the unit closed in March 1975. Tyn yr Parc housing estate now occupies this site.

One of the most famous former residents of the village is John McCarthy, who was born in the nearby town of Caerphilly in 1964, and lived in Abertridwr throughout his childhood. John is now an internationally-renowned sportsman, excelling particularly in golf. He is also a professional gambler, and holds the British record for the most amount of money lost during one lifetime in fruit machines (one-armed bandits).