Treherbert

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Treherbert
Treherbert shown within the United Kingdom
Population	6011 (2001)
OS grid reference	SS936985
Principal area	Rhondda Cynon Taff
Ceremonial county	Mid Glamorgan
Constituent country	Wales
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Postcode district	CF42 5
Dialling code	01443
Police	South Wales
Fire	South Wales
Ambulance	Welsh
European Parliament	Wales
UK Parliament	Rhondda
Welsh Assembly	Rhondda
List of places: UK • Wales • Rhondda Cynon Taff

Coordinates: 51°40′20″N 3°31′50″W / 51.6722, -3.5306

Treherbert is a village situated at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley in South Wales.

1 History
2 Present day
3 Transport
- 3.1 Railway
4 Sport
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

There is evidence of settlements in the Rhondda dating back to Celtic times, but prior to the Industrial Revolution and the advent of coal mining the villages of Treherbert, Tynewydd, Blaenrhondda and Blaencwm consisted of a number of isolated rural farms and scattered homesteads. In 1841 there were only 218 people residing in the 'Middle hamlet of Treherbert', which had risen to 1,203 by 1861.^[1]

In August 1845, the trustees of the Marquess of Bute bought the Cwmsaebren farm from William Davies for a fee of £11,000 to sink the first steam coal pit in the Rhondda valley. A trial pit was sunk from 1850, but progress was slow due to the fact that all equipment was carried over rough tracks by horse and cart from the Taff Vale Railway's then terminus at Dinas. In April 1853 the first seam of what was called the Bute Merthyr colliery was struck at a depth of 125 yards, and production was begun in early 1855.

Parish records showed the first use of the name Treherbert from January 1855, commemorating one of the family names of the Marquess of Bute. The first 38 wagons of steam coal were transported from the newly extended Taff Vale Railway station at Gelligaled (Ystrad) to Cardiff docks on 21 December 1855. Installation of the railway line facilitated the rapid expansion of the village, and the need to build new houses, the first rows of which were built at Bute Street, Dumfries Street, and Baglan Street.

[edit] Present day

During the early 21st century much of the 'old' Treherbert was demolished. Buildings that disappeared included Treherbert Hospital, Treherbert Police Station, Dunraven School (Tynewydd), Blaencwm School, Blaenrhondda School, Penyrenglyn Infants and Junior School, Treherbert Infants School and Libanus Chapel.

[edit] Transport

The main road in the northerly direction out of Treherbert is the A4061 Rhigos Mountain Road.

[edit] Railway

Treherbert railway station is the last stop on the Arriva Trains Wales Treherbert line, which runs from the capital city, Cardiff. Prior to the Dr Beeching plans in the 1960s the railway line continued from Treherbert through Tynewydd to Blaencwm. From here it turned left at Pen Pych into Blaencwm. In Blaencwm, the line descended into a tunnel under Mynydd Blaengwynfi, emerging in the village of Blaengwynfi in the nearby Afan valley. The journey took approximately 8 minutes.