Rhydyfelin
| Rhydyfelin Rhondda Cynon Taff Town Of Rhydyfelin | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Country | Wales |
| Region | South Wales |
| Ceremonial county | South Glamorgan |
| Local government | Rhondda Cynon Taf |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Ann Crimmings |
| • European Parliament | Wales |
| Time zone | GMT |
| • Summer (DST) | BST (UTC+1) |
| Post codes | CF |
| Area code(s) | 01443 |
| Police Force | South Wales Police |
| Fire Service | South Wales Fire and Rescue Service |
| Ambulance Service | Welsh Ambulance Service |
Rhydyfelin (Welsh pronunciation: [r̥ɨdəˈvɛlɪn], Mill Ford) is a large village and part of the community of Pontypridd, a town about two miles to its north west, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is on the eastern bank of the River Taff close to the A470, and historically was in the parish of Eglwysilan.
Rhydyfelin grew from a rural hamlet to a thriving village in the 19th century, due to its location on the Glamorganshire Canal which took iron from Merthyr Tydfil to the city of Cardiff, and linking to this Dr. Richard Griffiths' canal and tramway which took coal from the Rhondda Valleys. Also of note was the nearby Iron and Tin works at Treforest. Other minor works included an ironworks on the site of the tram shed buildings.
Neighbouring villages are Hawthorn, Treforest and Glyntaff. The village is split into two electoral wards: the lower largely historic part of the village is in Hawthorn ward along with the settlement of Upper Boat which comprises some of the nearby Treforest Estate, while the largely modern housing estates of upper Rhydyfelin are in the ward of Rhydyfelen Central and Ilan. Rhydyfelin is also known as Rhydfelen, which means Yellow ford in the Welsh language.
Rhydyfelin was once served by two railway stations- one on the Cardiff Railway, and one on the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway. After the Grouping, the former Cardiff Railway halt became Rhydyfelin Low Level Halt and the halt of the Pontypridd, Caerphilly and Newport Railway became Rhydyfelin High Level Halt. The halts closed in 1931 and 1953 respectively.
Population
The populations of Rhydyfelin and Hawthorn wards were 4,672 and 3,652 respectively (8,324 in total) in the 2001 Census (the 2009 electorates were 3,084 and 2,781, respectively) out of the total 33,000 residents for Pontypridd as a whole.
Notable residents
Rhydyfelin is home to Welsh band Lostprophets which was formed in 1997 by three pupils of the Hawthorn High School: Ian Watkins (vocalist), Mike Lewis (bassist) and Lee Gaze (lead guitar).
Places of interest
The village is on the 55 mile Taff Trail from Brecon to Cardiff Bay.
Education
Schools in Rhydyfelin include Cardinal Newman RC School (Roman Catholic), Hawthorn High School (English medium), Heol-Y-Celyn Primary School (Welsh and English medium), and Glantâf infants school (English medium). It is the former home of Coleg Morgannwg (English medium further education college).
External links
- www.geograph.co.uk - photos of Rhydyfelin and surrounding area
- rhondda-cynontaff.gov.uk - Rhydyfelin on the local council website
- www.rhondda-cynon taff.gov.uk/heritagetrail/english/taff/rhydyfelin.html - Information about Rhydyfelin's past
Coordinates: 51°35′15″N 3°18′42″W / 51.5874°N 3.3117°W
References
J. Hutton. The Newport Docks and Railway Company. Silver Link. 1996.