Rhymney

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Rhymney
Welsh: Rhymni
Population	7,011
OS grid reference	SO115075
Principal area	Caerphilly
Ceremonial county	Gwent
Constituent country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	TREDEGAR
Postcode district	NP22
Dialling code	01685
Police	Gwent
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
European Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney
List of places: UK • Wales • Caerphilly

Rhymney [1] (Welsh: Rhymni) is a town located in the county borough of Caerphilly, in south-east Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. Along with the villages of Pontlottyn, Fochriw, Abertysswg, Deri and New Tredegar, Rhymney is designated as the 'Upper Rhymney Valley' by the local Unitary Authority, Caerphilly County Borough Council.

The town was founded with the establishment of the Bute ironworks in 1802. The Rhymney ironworks were later established. The ironworks used local coking coal, iron ore and limestone.

From the mid-19th century, steam coal pits [2] started to be opened to the south of the town. The iron works closed finally in 1891, and the collieries employed nearly the entire local population in the early 20th century. The town's secondary school, Rhymney Comprehensive, serves a catchment area that includes Fochriw, Pontlottyn and New Tredegar.

Rhymney railway station is on the Rhymney Line.

Rhymney is known to many outside of Wales thanks to "Bells of Rhymney", a ballad by Idris Davies on the failure of the 1926 General Strike. Folk singer Pete Seeger used the poem as lyrics for a song of the same title, which was later notably recorded by The Byrds, as well as by Robyn Hitchcock, Weddings Parties Anything, the Oysterband and others.

The history of Rhymney is described eloquently in Rhymney Memories, a book by Dr Thomas Jones CH, who was born there and whose daughter, the Labour Party politician Eirene White was later granted the title Baroness White of Rhymney.