Taff's Well

Taff's Well
Welsh: Ffynnon Taf

Taff's Well Railway Station
Taff's Well
 Taff's Well shown within Rhondda Cynon Taf
Population 3,464 
OS grid referenceST122835
Principal areaRhondda Cynon Taf
Ceremonial countyMid Glamorgan
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post town CARDIFF
Postcode district CF15
Dialling code 029
Police South Wales
Fire South Wales
Ambulance Welsh
EU Parliament Wales
UK ParliamentPontypridd
Welsh AssemblyPontypridd
List of places
UK
Wales
Rhondda Cynon Taf

Coordinates: 51°32′43″N 3°16′13″W / 51.545355°N 3.270246°W

Taff's Well or Taffs Well (Welsh: Ffynnon Taf) is a village and community located just north of the city of Cardiff and 6 miles (9.7 km) from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town and has a park and variety of shops. The Garth overlooks the village and was the inspiration for the fictional "Ffynnon Garw", featured in the book, and film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain.

Name

The name "Taff's Well" is derived from the fact that the village is situated alongside the River Taff, and that it is the site of a natural hot spring Taff's Well Thermal Spring (of 18.9 degrees C, 66 degrees F) that has been used since Roman times. Taffs Well is Wales' only natural thermal spa.

Location

Taffs Well is situated just off Junction 32 of the M4 Motorway and at the Southern end of the A470.

Though administratively represented by Rhondda Cynon Taff Council, Taffs Well is a commuter town for the City of Cardiff where many of its residents work.

Taff's Well has different communities including Rhiw Ddar and Ty Rhiw through which the Taff Trail runs. Taff's Well is next to Castell Coch, which overlooks Cardiff.

Local politics

Taff's Well elects a councillor to represent the village on the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.[1] Taff's Well is represented locally by the Taff’s Well Community Council, which has 10 members. The Council hit the headlines in 2010 when it was criticised by the Wales Audit Office for breaching financial and corporate governance regulations with its financial records.[2]

Media

Taffs Well is the original location of the story that inspired the film The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, which was written and directed by Taffs Well natives Ivor and Christopher Monger.

Taffs Well has featured in the Welsh sitcom Stella. The post office is a main filming location for the sitcom, although it is just outside of the village.

Sport

Taff's Well A.F.C. are the local football team and Taff's Well RFC are the local Rugby union team.

Transport

Taffs Well railway station, which opened in 1863,[3] is situated on the Rhondda and Merthyr Lines. Services are provided by Arriva Trains Wales northbound to Treherbert, Aberdare, Merthyr Tydfil via Pontypridd and southbound to Cardiff Queen Street and Cardiff Central. The average journey time to Cardiff Central is 20 minutes at a frequency of 6 trains per hour.[4]

Stagecoach bus service 132 between Maerdy and Cardiff central bus station stops in the village every 15 minutes at peak times.[5]

The A470 road runs through the village between Cardiff Bay (9 miles (14 km) south) and Llandudno (179 miles (288 km) north). Taff's Well is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Junction 32 (Cardiff North) of the M4 motorway.

Churches

The village has a number of churches, including Taffs Well United Church whose ministers are Helen and Andy Fyall.

Notable people

See Category:People from Taff's Well

References

  1. ↑ "Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council". The Welsh Political Almanac. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  2. ↑ "'Worst run council in Wales'". Pontypridd and Llantrisant Observer. 3 June 2010. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  3. ↑ Hutton, John (2006). The Taff Vale Railway, vol. 1. Silver Link. ISBN 978-1-85794-249-1.
  4. ↑ Arriva Trains Wales Timetable: Valleys and Cardiff local routes
  5. ↑ Stagecoach service 132 timetable

See also