Afon Clun
Encyclopedia
The Afon Clun is a 14 miles (23 km) long tributary
of the River Ely
, in the counties of Cardiff
and Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales
. Its bedrock
is predominantly of sandstone. Beginning on the western slope of The Garth
the river is fast-flowing, in clear shallow water with a hard substrate
, flowing to the south of Llantrisant
and generally west to its confluence
with the River Ely at Pontyclun
, falling 715 feet (218 m) over its course.
The river contains species such as stone loach
, lamprey
, eel
, roach, chub
and bullhead
, and the Afon Clun valley is home to many species, including dragonflies
and damselflies
, badger
, and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly
, as well as the European Protected Species
— bat
s, dormouse
, otter
and great crested newt
. Birds in the area include Bullfinch
, Kingfisher
, Linnet
, Reed bunting
, Skylark
, and Song thrush
.
The valley is at risk of flooding between Cross Inn and Pontyclun and is liable to overflow its northern bank along its one and a half mile (2.5 km) length downstream from the main A4119
(Tonypandy
to Cardiff Bay
) road at Talbot Green
, to Pontyclun, providing a wetland wildlife habitat.
There are many archeological sites close to the course of the river — from the Bronze Age
tumuli
on The Garth and an Iron Age
hill fort at Rhiwsaeson, to the more recent industrial archeology of the coal mines
.
is on the western slope of The Garth
(elevation
1007 feet (307 m)), a mountain
of pennant sandstone
midway between Cardiff and Pontypridd
, whose eastern slopes feed the River Taf
by Taff's Well
. The Garth stands in the north western corner of the City and County of Cardiff
, above the village of Gwaelod y Garth, about seven miles (11 km) north west of Cardiff city centre and a mile (1.6 km) north of Pentyrch
. The lower northern slopes of The Garth form the boundary with Rhondda Cynon Taf, about half a mile (800 m) north of the Clun's source. To the east the land falls away sharply from the summit, dropping more than 650 feet (200 m) over a distance of 1200 feet (366 m). The drop is less dramatic on the western slopes, the source of the Clun, but the river still falls to 165 feet (50 m) by the time it crosses the county boundary into Rhondda Cynon Taf at Rhiwsaeson, just over two miles (3.5 km) from its source. The Clun is fast-flowing, with clear shallow water and a hard substrate
(gravel/cobble/pebble).
Near the Dŵr Cymru / Welsh Water
water treatment plant at Rhiwsaeson the Afon Clun is fed from the north by Nant Myddlyn, which itself is joined from the east by Nant Dowlais. Nant Myddlyn rises in Tynant, Beddau
about one and a half miles (2.5 km) to the north of its confluence with the River Clun, between Beddau
and Llantwit Fardre
, and Nant Dowlais rises in Church Village
. Nant Dowlais also has a tributary, which rises on Garth Isaf, two and a quarter miles (3.5 km) from it on the north western slopes of The Garth and about half a mile (800 m) north of the Clun's source.
Leaving Rhiwsaeson, about a mile (1.5 km) east of Cross Inn, the Clun widens to between about eight (2.5 m) and 12 feet (3.5 m) and slows. Here, where the Clun flows to the south of Cross Inn, as well as along the banks of Nant Dowlais and Nant Myddlyn, evidence of otter activity has been noted. The river flows to the south of the A473 Pontypridd to Bridgend
road (Talbot Green By-Pass), where it is fed from the south by Nant Mwyndy. Nant Mwyndy flows over a bedrock of Carboniferous Limestone
, rising in Creigiau
and, flowing westwards, immediately north of Groesfaen, passing a small Industrial Estate at Mwyndy, feeding a lake resulting from Victorian
opencast
iron mining (see History below) and turning south to flow past Cefn-y-Parc Cemetery , Penygawsi, before reaching its confluence with the Afon Clun. The Clun then flows beneath the main A4119 (Tonypandy to Cardiff Bay) route about 50 metres (164 ft) south of the roundabout
by Glamorgan Vale Retail Park, Talbot Green. At this point, the river often overflows onto the meadows to the north, providing a wetland wildlife habitat, although drainage of floodplain grasslands, for industrialisation, housing and associated infrastructure
has had an impact on wildlife by reducing its available area. To the south, the enclosed woodland of Coed-yr-Hendy follows the river's course for its final half a mile (800 m). The woodland's gentle slope, up from the Clun towards Miskin
and Pontyclun, prevents significant flooding over Afon Clun's southern bank.
After passing Y Pant Comprehensive School and Pontyclun Fire Station, the Clun flows under the bridge built for the Llantrisant to Cowbridge
main road, also known as the A4222, and gives its name to the nearby village, Pontyclun, which translates into English as 'the (river) Clun bridge'. Immediately past the bridge, 14 miles (23 km) from its source, is the Afon Clun's confluence with the River Ely, which heads south, east to Miskin, almost encircling Pontyclun, then south on its way to Cardiff, where it flows into Cardiff Bay by Penarth Marina
, which flows into the Bristol Channel
.
Bedrock along the river's course is predominantly sandstone
.
The Clun's water quality
is generally class RE2 or better.
[Note: River Ecosystem Classification (RE) regulations and EU Directives for Bathing Water, Freshwater Fisheries, Dangerous Substances and Urban Waste Water Treatment;
RE1: 'Water of very good quality suitable for all fish species';
RE2: 'Water of good quality suitable for all fish species';
RE3: 'Water of fair quality suitable for high class coarse fish populations';
RE4: 'Water of fair quality suitable for coarse fish populations';
RE5: 'Water of poor quality which is likely to limit coarse fish populations.']
Afon Clun and its tributaries are designated 'salmonid waters and cyprinid waters' by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under the EC Freshwater Fish Directive (2006/44/EC), which sets physical and chemical water quality objectives to protect fresh water bodies suitable for sustaining fish populations
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) has designated the 'Afon Clun Valley and Rhiwsaeson Hill' as a Site of Important Nature Conservation
, which is intended to provide the area with some protection from development. In addition, RCT has designated the undeveloped areas of the southern bank of Afon Clun (from Rhiwsaeson to Coed-yr-Hendy, including Mwyndy) and 'Efail Isaf, Garth and Nantgarw
Western Slopes' as Special Landscape Areas (SLAs)
. (SLAs) are intended to protect the visual qualities of 'areas of fine landscape quality', when considering development proposals. 'Coed-yr-Hendy and Mwyndy' consists mainly of 'undisturbed' fields and woodlands. The south and west of the 'Efail Isaf, Garth and Nantgarw Western Slopes' area consists of farmland — considered to be a buffer between The Garth and the urban area of Efail Isaf and Church Village. The eastern part is the prominent wooded slopes of the Taf Valley — a backdrop to the Treforest Industrial Estate. SLAs are identified using the Countryside Council for Wales'
LANDMAP criteria, considering factors such as prominence, spectacle (dramatic topography and views), unspoilt areas (pre-industrial patterns of land use), remoteness & tranquility, vulnerability & sensitivity to change and local rarity of landscape.
, stickleback
, stone loach, lamprey, and eel. The species European bullhead
(Cottus gobio) were also present, until a pollution incident in 2000 CE (see Industry below). In addition, the Clun contains roach and chub.
Among the species in the flood-meadow
s adjacent to the Afon Clun is the Common orchid
. The river's banks contain broadleaf woodland as well as invasive plants such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed.
Several species of dragonfly and damselfly hunt on the river. Other species present include bats, badger, dormouse, otter, great crested newt
and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, of which bats, dormouse, otter and great crested newt
are European Protected Species. There is evidence that otters use Nant Dowlais and Nant Myddlyn, as well as the Clun and several species of bat have been sighted in the area, including Natterer's
, Long-eared
, Noctule
and Pipistrelle
.
The Clun flows through, and close to, several areas defined in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
(BAP) as 'Areas of Ecological Significance'. Birds of 'conservation concern' recorded in surveys of the area are Bullfinch, Kingfisher, Linnet, Reed bunting Skylark, and Song thrush.
Hedgerows
throughout the area qualify for protection, under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997.
Domesticated animals—horses and sheep—are kept in many of the fields bordering the river. Farmers have been encouraged to fence off access to the river for their animals, to prevent erosion of the riverbank and to prevent organophosphates (and the alternative—synthetic pyrethoids) used in sheep dip
, from contaminating the river.
coke
at the Cwm Coke Works at Tynant, Beddau, were also regulated by IPC until the works closed in 2002. Under IPC the Environment Agency
ensure that: "in carrying out a prescribed process the operator shall use BATNEEC (Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost) for:
i) preventing the release of substances prescribed for any environmental medium or, where that is not practicable by such means, for reducing the release of such substances to a minimum and for rendering harmless any such substances which are so released; and
ii) for rendering harmless any other substances which might cause harm if released into any environmental medium."
Since the end of coal mining in south Wales, the Afon Clun gradually returned to the condition in which it was before the Industrial Revolution
, although it has been polluted several times since then. In 2000 CE ammonia
discharged into Mwyndy Brook killed over 600 fish and eels, including the complete resident population of a conservation species known as bullheads, and many hundreds of small coarse fish fry, in the Clun. The coal briquetting plant that caused the pollution were fined a total of GBP31,816 in fines and costs, after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency. Nant Myddlyn, a tributary on the Clun, suffered from a diesel spill near Llantwit Fardre, in early 2008 CE, which was raised at the Senedd
.
Between 1994 and 1996, water quality at Nant Myddlyn—from Tynant to the confluence with the Nant Dowlais—was noted as RE5 and at Afon Clun—from the confluence with the Myddlyn to Rhiwsaeson village—the quality
was RE4. The deterioration of water quality was caused by the discharge of industrial effluent from Cwm Coke Works at Tynant. An effective effluent treatment plant was recommissioned to solve the discharge problem and water quality soon returned to RE2, until the works' closure in 2002 CE.
Since Coal Products' Cwm Coking Works closed, water abstraction
from the Afon Clun area is minimal. The Works at Tynant had used up to 3.9 million litres per day (Ml/d) from Nant Myddlyn and a borehole
and occasionally, water abstraction at the Works had caused Nant Myddlyn to dry up.
Areas of flat land next to waterways are attractive to developers. Parts of the floodplain
between Cross Inn and Pontyclun have been developed over the last 20 years, reducing the area available for the river to overflow. The A473 (Cross Inn to Lanelay road) Talbot Green by-pass, Glamorgan Vale Retail Park, Leekes department store, Y Pant School, Ynysddu Farm housing estate and the houses along the former Pant y Dderwyn meadow have all been built where the river water used to go when its banks could no longer contain the volume. Some earthen banks (the pre-existing flood defence) are incorporated in the gardens of the Ynysddu estate. Y Pant school was constructed on the floodplain against the advice of the then Glamorgan River Board.
The authorities now consider the floodplain as an integral part of the overall river system. Under the Environment Agency's Floodplain Policy, it is deemed essential that it is kept free from development for flood defence reasons. The Clun is liable to overflow its northern bank along its one and a half mile (2.5 km) length downstream, between Cross Inn from the main A4119 (Tonypandy to Cardiff Bay ) road at Talbot Green, and Pontyclun. This floodplain provides a wetland wildlife habitat. In addition, horses are kept in the meadows, when the ground is not too waterlogged.
(between 10,000 and 12,000 BP
), mesolithic
hunter-gatherers from Central Europe
began to migrate
to Great Britain
. They would have been able to walk between Continental Europe
and Great Britain on dry land
, prior to the post glacial rise in sea level, up until between 6,000 and 7,000 BP. As the area was heavily wooded and movement would have been restricted, it is likely that people also came to what was to become known as Wales
by boat from the Iberian Peninsula
. These neolithic
colonists
integrated with the indigenous people, who gradually changed from being hunter-gatherers to settled farmers. They cleared the forests to establish pasture and to cultivate the land.
In common with the people living all over Great Britain
, over the following centuries the people living in what is now known as the Afon Clun valley assimilated new immigrants and exchanged ideas of the Bronze Age
and Iron Age
Celtic cultures. Together with the approximate areas now known as Brecknockshire
, Monmouthshire
and the rest of Glamorgan
, the Afon Clun Valley was settled by a Celtic British tribe called the Silures
.
s, near the river's source at the top of The Garth, thought to be Bronze Age, one of which supports a trig. pillar
on its flat top.
Caerau Hillfort was the subject of a forgery in a book called 'Gwentian Brut' In The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales
, edited by JONES, O.; WILLIAMS, E.; PUGHE, W.O. (1801). The forgery was fabricated by Edward Williams (a.k.a.
Iolo Morgannwg
) while he was one of editors of Myvyrian Archaiology, suggesting that Caerau Hillfort was the site of the "Battle of Rhiwsaeson" in 873 CE.
mines
were opened in Mwyndy (between Llantrisant and Groesfaen) in the "Parke of Cloune" in May 1531 CE. By August 1531 CE iron ore was being mined there. Iron smelting
began nearby during the summer of 1532 CE, with one bloomery
furnace
site at Mwyndy, and (probably) another smaller smelting site at Rhiwsaeson, employing 4 blowers/hewars, with three blowers operating the bellows at any one time. They produced up to 2 blooms, of 50 kg per bloom per day, from 150 kg of ore, taking 6 to 7 hours each to produce. Charcoal
to heat the furnaces was probably derived locally, from "Cloune Park" — mention is made by Rice Lewis in his 'A breviat of Glamorgan' (1595 and 1600 CE) of the destruction of the forests of Garth Maelog and Allt Griffith because of the ironworks. The iron mines were leased by the crown
in 1539 CE, granting rights to mine and make iron and to build water powered
iron works within three miles of Cloune Park for 21 years. There is no evidence to suggest that either iron mining or smelting continued in the area after the 16th century.
It is likely that the name of the house built on or near the ironworks derived from the words mwynglawdd (mine), and dy (soft mutation from ty) (house). And from that, the area name of Mwyndy.
The mine was either reopened, or dug out near the original workings, about 1859. Over one million tons of iron ore (goethite
) were mined at Mwyndy before the mine closed in 1884. The resuling lake feeds into Nant Mwyndy.
. There are several former collieries to the north of the river. Many pits were begun in the 1860s in Beddau, Ty'n-y-nant and Gelynog pits being the most important, prior to which the area was mostly farmland. Cwm Colliery was sunk by the Great Western Colliery Company Limited in 1909 and this marked a rapid expansion of the population. In 1923 the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company
sunk the Ynysmaerdy Colliery at Llantrisant, also known as the New Duffryn and Llantrisant Colliery, it had three shafts, employing 216 men. The Cwm was acquired by Powell Duffryn in 1928. In 1931 an underground railway linked the Cwm to the Maritime Colliery, Pontypridd and by 1934 the Cwm employed 100 men on the surface and 780 men underground. A methane gas explosion on bank holiday
Monday, 2 June 1941, killed four men — Ernest Evans (Banksman
), Noah Fletcher (Winding Engineman
), John Gregor (Manager), and David Thomas (Switchboard Attendant
) — and destroyed most of the surface buildings. The explosion would have caused far greater loss of life had it not occurred on a bank holiday. The colliery never reopened after the accident.
The mines were nationalised
in 1947 and in 1957 another underground railway linked the Cwm with Coedely Colliery, north of Llantrisant. The merger of these two pits created the largest colliery in the south Wales coalfield. At the peak of production in 1960, the Cwm Colliery employed 1,470 men and produced 324,794 tons of coal. British Coal
closed Cwm Colliery in 1986, a year after the Miners' Strike
.
walk through Taff-Ely
, beginning at Mynydd Maendy (SS977861), Bridgend in the west, and ending at Caerphilly mountain
(ST153856), in the east. The route passes through Llantrisant Forest, Llantrisant Town
and Caerau Hillfort, only dropping from the ridgeway at the Ely Valley and Nant Myddlyn. The Waymark is a yellow/black named disc, with a hills motif.
The route links with the Ogwr Ridgeway Walk, which joins the Coed Morgannwg Way, the Taff Trail
near Taffs Well and the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk
at Caerphilly Mountain.
to the M4
, through Tonyrefail and Talbot Green, brought development pressure to the area around Llantrisant. Extensive housing development has taken place recently in the villages along the A473, the main Pontypridd to Bridgend road, linking Llantwit Fardre to Llantrisant, Talbot Green, Llanharan
and Pencoed
, the road that runs parallel to the Afon Clun from Rhiwsaeson to Pontyclun. This development brought further pressure on the road system, which led to the revival of the 1989 plans for the Church Village bypass
. Preparatory work on the bypass began in February 2008, and an announcement was made on 12 March 2008 that the Welsh Assembly Government
had given the go-ahead for work to start in the 'next few months'.
An Environmental Constraints Plan has been compiled and updated from ecological surveys of 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007, with a view to minimising the impact of the bypass scheme. Findings from the surveys show the presence of Bat, Badger, Dormouse, Otter, Great Crested Newt and the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly.
Leading on from the Church Village Bypass scheme, is a proposal to dual the existing A473 Talbot Green Bypass, between the Church Village Bypass and the former headquarters of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
(who moved to Llantrisant in 2009) at Lanelay Hall. However, the scheme is 'highly dependent on the level of development activity in the area', and Rhondda Cynon Taf's Strategic Site 7: Mwyndy/Talbot Green Area, in particular.
A single track railway runs north from Pontyclun station, turning west at Talbot Green to run roughly parallel to the Clun, alongside the north of the A473. At Cross Inn the track turns north east, running north of the Caerau Hillfort, and originally ran to the Cwm Coking Works at Tynant, Beddau, although the track has been dismantled to the east of Cross Inn. All the original railway paraphernalia remains intact between Talbot Green and Pontyclun, including the track, signals and bridges with cages above the track to prevent people throwing things (or themselves) onto the trains, tracks or coal wagons. The track is still embedded in the road where it crosses the A473, the warning lights remain at the roadside and the roadsigns warn drivers to stop if they see warning lights flash at the level crossing
. A recent consultative study (Sewta Rail Strategy Study—January 2006) has considered the possibility of reopening the Pontyclun to Beddau branch line, as a passenger line rather than just for freight. This would require new stations at Talbot Green, Llantrisant, Gwaun Meisgyn and Beddau (Tynant).
Tributary
A tributary or affluent is a stream or river that flows into a main stem river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean...
of the River Ely
River Ely
The River Ely is a river in South Wales flowing generally south east, from Tonyrefail to the capital city of Cardiff.-Course of the river:...
, in the counties of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
and Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. Its bedrock
Bedrock
In stratigraphy, bedrock is the native consolidated rock underlying the surface of a terrestrial planet, usually the Earth. Above the bedrock is usually an area of broken and weathered unconsolidated rock in the basal subsoil...
is predominantly of sandstone. Beginning on the western slope of The Garth
Garth Hill
Garth Hill is a hill located near the village of Pentyrch in Cardiff...
the river is fast-flowing, in clear shallow water with a hard substrate
Substrate (marine biology)
Stream substrate is the material that rests at the bottom of a stream. There are several classification guides. One is:*Mud – silt and clay.*Sand – Particles between 0.06 and 2 mm in diameter.*Granule – Between 2 and 4 mm in diameter....
, flowing to the south of Llantrisant
Llantrisant
Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...
and generally west to its confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the River Ely at Pontyclun
Pontyclun
Pontyclun is a village in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is served by the South Wales Main Line and has its own local rugby union club...
, falling 715 feet (218 m) over its course.
The river contains species such as stone loach
Stone Loach
The Stone loach, Barbatula barbatula, is a species of ray-finned fish in the Balitoridae family.It is found in Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein,...
, lamprey
Lamprey
Lampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
, eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
, roach, chub
European chub
The European chub , sometimes called the round chub, fat chub, chevin, pollard or simply "the" chub, is a freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae...
and bullhead
European bullhead
The bullhead is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the Cottidae family, a type of sculpin...
, and the Afon Clun valley is home to many species, including dragonflies
Dragonfly
A dragonfly is a winged insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera . It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong transparent wings, and an elongated body...
and damselflies
Damselfly
Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
, and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly
Marsh Fritillary
The Marsh Fritillary, Euphydryas aurinia, is a butterfly of the Nymphalidae family.It is widespread in the Palaearctic region from Ireland in the West to Yakutia in the East, and to North-west China and Mongolia in the South.E. aurinia is represented by many subspecies.The most widely accepted...
, as well as the European Protected Species
European Protected Species
European Protected Species are species of plants and animals protected by law throughout the European Union. They are listed in Annexes II and IV of the European Habitats Directive....
— bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s, dormouse
Dormouse
Dormice are rodents of the family Gliridae. Dormice are mostly found in Europe, although some live in Africa and Asia. They are particularly known for their long periods of hibernation...
, otter
Otter
The Otters are twelve species of semi-aquatic mammals which feed on fish and shellfish, and also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals....
and great crested newt
Great Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
. Birds in the area include Bullfinch
Bullfinch
* A Bullfinch is one of two groups of passerine birdsBullfinch can also refer to:* Bullfinch , an obstacle seen on the cross-country course in the sport of eventing* USS Bullfinch, the name of two US Navy ships...
, Kingfisher
Kingfisher
Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the order Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australia...
, Linnet
Linnet
The Linnet is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.The Linnet derives its scientific name from its fondness for hemp and its English name from its liking for seeds of flax, from which linen is made.- Description :...
, Reed bunting
Reed Bunting
The Reed Bunting, Emberiza schoeniclus, is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae....
, Skylark
Skylark
The Skylark is a small passerine bird species. This lark breeds across most of Europe and Asia and in the mountains of north Africa. It is mainly resident in the west of its range, but eastern populations are more migratory, moving further south in winter. Even in the milder west of its range,...
, and Song thrush
Song Thrush
The Song Thrush is a thrush that breeds across much of Eurasia. It is also known in English dialects as throstle or mavis. It has brown upperparts and black-spotted cream or buff underparts and has three recognised subspecies...
.
The valley is at risk of flooding between Cross Inn and Pontyclun and is liable to overflow its northern bank along its one and a half mile (2.5 km) length downstream from the main A4119
A4119 road
The A4119 is an A road linking Tonypandy with Cardiff in south Wales.Settlements served by the route include:*Tonypandy*Penygraig*Williamstown*Tonyrefail*Ynysmaerdy*Talbot Green*Llantrisant*Groes-faen*Creigiau*Llandaff*Canton*Riverside*Grangetown...
(Tonypandy
Tonypandy
Tonypandy is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr Valley. A former industrial coal mining town, today Tonypandy is best known as the site of the Tonypandy Riots....
to Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff Bay is the area created by the Cardiff Barrage in South Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The regeneration of Cardiff Bay is now widely regarded as one of the most successful regeneration projects in the United Kingdom. The Bay is supplied by two rivers to form a freshwater lake round the...
) road at Talbot Green
Talbot Green
Talbot Green is a village just north of the M4 motorway, in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales in the United Kingdom...
, to Pontyclun, providing a wetland wildlife habitat.
There are many archeological sites close to the course of the river — from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
tumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
on The Garth and an Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
hill fort at Rhiwsaeson, to the more recent industrial archeology of the coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
.
Course
The Afon Clun, a major tributary of the River Ely, drains an area of 12 square miles (31.1 km²) to the north-west of Cardiff in south Wales. The river's sourceSource (river or stream)
The source or headwaters of a river or stream is the place from which the water in the river or stream originates.-Definition:There is no universally agreed upon definition for determining a stream's source...
is on the western slope of The Garth
Garth Hill
Garth Hill is a hill located near the village of Pentyrch in Cardiff...
(elevation
Elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface ....
1007 feet (307 m)), a mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
of pennant sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
midway between Cardiff and Pontypridd
Pontypridd
Pontypridd is both a community and a principal town of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales and is situated 12 miles/19 km north of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff...
, whose eastern slopes feed the River Taf
River Taff
The River Taff is a large river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons — the Taf Fechan and the Taf Fawr — before joining to form the Taff north of Merthyr Tydfil...
by Taff's Well
Taff's Well
Taff's Well or Taffs Well is a village located just north of the city of Cardiff and from its city centre. Located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Taff's Well serves as a commuter town.-Name:...
. The Garth stands in the north western corner of the City and County of Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, above the village of Gwaelod y Garth, about seven miles (11 km) north west of Cardiff city centre and a mile (1.6 km) north of Pentyrch
Pentyrch
Pentyrch is a suburban community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, which covers the village and surrounding area.-Geography:...
. The lower northern slopes of The Garth form the boundary with Rhondda Cynon Taf, about half a mile (800 m) north of the Clun's source. To the east the land falls away sharply from the summit, dropping more than 650 feet (200 m) over a distance of 1200 feet (366 m). The drop is less dramatic on the western slopes, the source of the Clun, but the river still falls to 165 feet (50 m) by the time it crosses the county boundary into Rhondda Cynon Taf at Rhiwsaeson, just over two miles (3.5 km) from its source. The Clun is fast-flowing, with clear shallow water and a hard substrate
Substrate (marine biology)
Stream substrate is the material that rests at the bottom of a stream. There are several classification guides. One is:*Mud – silt and clay.*Sand – Particles between 0.06 and 2 mm in diameter.*Granule – Between 2 and 4 mm in diameter....
(gravel/cobble/pebble).
Near the Dŵr Cymru / Welsh Water
Welsh Water
Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is a company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England.It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991.-History:...
water treatment plant at Rhiwsaeson the Afon Clun is fed from the north by Nant Myddlyn, which itself is joined from the east by Nant Dowlais. Nant Myddlyn rises in Tynant, Beddau
Beddau
Beddau is a large village around 1.5 miles from Llantrisant and 4 miles from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.-Education:Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau is the village's Welsh speaking primary school...
about one and a half miles (2.5 km) to the north of its confluence with the River Clun, between Beddau
Beddau
Beddau is a large village around 1.5 miles from Llantrisant and 4 miles from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.-Education:Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Castellau is the village's Welsh speaking primary school...
and Llantwit Fardre
Llantwit Fardre
Llantwit Fardre is a large village situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend , road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Confusingly, Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old parish and the community area that takes in the villages of Llantwit Fardre, Tonteg and Church...
, and Nant Dowlais rises in Church Village
Church Village
Church Village is a large village in the historic parish and community of Llantwit Fardre, located within the Taff Ely district of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales...
. Nant Dowlais also has a tributary, which rises on Garth Isaf, two and a quarter miles (3.5 km) from it on the north western slopes of The Garth and about half a mile (800 m) north of the Clun's source.
Leaving Rhiwsaeson, about a mile (1.5 km) east of Cross Inn, the Clun widens to between about eight (2.5 m) and 12 feet (3.5 m) and slows. Here, where the Clun flows to the south of Cross Inn, as well as along the banks of Nant Dowlais and Nant Myddlyn, evidence of otter activity has been noted. The river flows to the south of the A473 Pontypridd to Bridgend
Bridgend
Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
road (Talbot Green By-Pass), where it is fed from the south by Nant Mwyndy. Nant Mwyndy flows over a bedrock of Carboniferous Limestone
Carboniferous limestone
Carboniferous Limestone is a term used to describe a variety of different types of limestone occurring widely across Great Britain and Ireland which were deposited during the Dinantian epoch of the Carboniferous period. They were formed between 363 and 325 million years ago...
, rising in Creigiau
Creigiau
Creigiau is a dormitory settlement in the north-west of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The village currently has about 1,000 houses and a population of approximately 2,400 people.- History :...
and, flowing westwards, immediately north of Groesfaen, passing a small Industrial Estate at Mwyndy, feeding a lake resulting from Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
opencast
Opencast
Opencast is a term to describe audio and video content, primarily in an academic context. It combines the terms "Open" for Open Source and/or Open Access and "Broadcast"...
iron mining (see History below) and turning south to flow past Cefn-y-Parc Cemetery , Penygawsi, before reaching its confluence with the Afon Clun. The Clun then flows beneath the main A4119 (Tonypandy to Cardiff Bay) route about 50 metres (164 ft) south of the roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
by Glamorgan Vale Retail Park, Talbot Green. At this point, the river often overflows onto the meadows to the north, providing a wetland wildlife habitat, although drainage of floodplain grasslands, for industrialisation, housing and associated infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
has had an impact on wildlife by reducing its available area. To the south, the enclosed woodland of Coed-yr-Hendy follows the river's course for its final half a mile (800 m). The woodland's gentle slope, up from the Clun towards Miskin
Miskin
Miskin is a village approximately 2 miles south of Llantrisant in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.The origin of the village was a small hamlet known as New Mill, which grew up around New Mill farm...
and Pontyclun, prevents significant flooding over Afon Clun's southern bank.
After passing Y Pant Comprehensive School and Pontyclun Fire Station, the Clun flows under the bridge built for the Llantrisant to Cowbridge
Cowbridge
Cowbridge is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, approximately west of Cardiff. Cowbridge is twinned with Clisson in the Loire-Atlantique department in northwestern France.-Roman times:...
main road, also known as the A4222, and gives its name to the nearby village, Pontyclun, which translates into English as 'the (river) Clun bridge'. Immediately past the bridge, 14 miles (23 km) from its source, is the Afon Clun's confluence with the River Ely, which heads south, east to Miskin, almost encircling Pontyclun, then south on its way to Cardiff, where it flows into Cardiff Bay by Penarth Marina
Penarth Marina
Penarth Marina is situated in the sheltered waters of Cardiff Bay, near Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.Penarth Marina is built around the basin of the historic Penarth Docks and has 350 berths....
, which flows into the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
.
Ecology
Average annual rainfall in the area is 73.9 inches (1,877.1 mm).Bedrock along the river's course is predominantly sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
.
The Clun's water quality
Water quality
Water quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
is generally class RE2 or better.
[Note: River Ecosystem Classification (RE) regulations and EU Directives for Bathing Water, Freshwater Fisheries, Dangerous Substances and Urban Waste Water Treatment;
RE1: 'Water of very good quality suitable for all fish species';
RE2: 'Water of good quality suitable for all fish species';
RE3: 'Water of fair quality suitable for high class coarse fish populations';
RE4: 'Water of fair quality suitable for coarse fish populations';
RE5: 'Water of poor quality which is likely to limit coarse fish populations.']
Afon Clun and its tributaries are designated 'salmonid waters and cyprinid waters' by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) under the EC Freshwater Fish Directive (2006/44/EC), which sets physical and chemical water quality objectives to protect fresh water bodies suitable for sustaining fish populations
Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) has designated the 'Afon Clun Valley and Rhiwsaeson Hill' as a Site of Important Nature Conservation
Site of Nature Conservation Interest
Site of Nature Conservation Interest is a designation used in many parts of the United Kingdom to protect areas of importance for wildlife and geology at a county scale...
, which is intended to provide the area with some protection from development. In addition, RCT has designated the undeveloped areas of the southern bank of Afon Clun (from Rhiwsaeson to Coed-yr-Hendy, including Mwyndy) and 'Efail Isaf, Garth and Nantgarw
Nantgarw
Nantgarw is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, near Cardiff.From an electoral and administrative perspective Nantgarw falls within the ward of Taffs Well, a village some 2.5 miles south, but historically fell within the boundaries of Caerphilly, which is a major town...
Western Slopes' as Special Landscape Areas (SLAs)
Special Landscape Area
A Special Landscape Area is a non-statutory conservation designation used by local government in some parts of the United Kingdom to categorise sensitive landscapes which are, either legally or as a matter of policy, protected from development or other man-made influences.The term is commonly used...
. (SLAs) are intended to protect the visual qualities of 'areas of fine landscape quality', when considering development proposals. 'Coed-yr-Hendy and Mwyndy' consists mainly of 'undisturbed' fields and woodlands. The south and west of the 'Efail Isaf, Garth and Nantgarw Western Slopes' area consists of farmland — considered to be a buffer between The Garth and the urban area of Efail Isaf and Church Village. The eastern part is the prominent wooded slopes of the Taf Valley — a backdrop to the Treforest Industrial Estate. SLAs are identified using the Countryside Council for Wales'
Countryside Council for Wales
The Countryside Council for Wales is an Assembly Government Sponsored Body. It is the Welsh Assembly Government's wildlife conservation authority for Wales...
LANDMAP criteria, considering factors such as prominence, spectacle (dramatic topography and views), unspoilt areas (pre-industrial patterns of land use), remoteness & tranquility, vulnerability & sensitivity to change and local rarity of landscape.
Diversity
The Afon Clun and Nant Dowlais contain minnowCyprinid
The family Cyprinidae, from the Ancient Greek kyprînos , consists of the carps, the true minnows, and their relatives . Commonly called the carp family or the minnow family, its members are also known as cyprinids...
, stickleback
Stickleback
The Gasterosteidae are a family of fish including the sticklebacks. FishBase currently recognises sixteen species in the family, grouped in five genera. However several of the species have a number of recognised subspecies, and the taxonomy of the family is thought to be in need of revision...
, stone loach, lamprey, and eel. The species European bullhead
European bullhead
The bullhead is a freshwater fish that is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of the Cottidae family, a type of sculpin...
(Cottus gobio) were also present, until a pollution incident in 2000 CE (see Industry below). In addition, the Clun contains roach and chub.
Among the species in the flood-meadow
Flood-meadow
A flood-meadow is an area of grassland or pasture beside a river, subject to seasonal flooding. Flood-meadows are distinct from water-meadows in that the latter are artificially created and maintained, with flooding controlled on a seasonal and even daily basis.- Examples :* Angel & Greyhound...
s adjacent to the Afon Clun is the Common orchid
Orchidaceae
The Orchidaceae, commonly referred to as the orchid family, is a morphologically diverse and widespread family of monocots in the order Asparagales. Along with the Asteraceae, it is one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with between 21,950 and 26,049 currently accepted species,...
. The river's banks contain broadleaf woodland as well as invasive plants such as Himalayan balsam and Japanese knotweed.
Several species of dragonfly and damselfly hunt on the river. Other species present include bats, badger, dormouse, otter, great crested newt
Great Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
and the Marsh Fritillary butterfly, of which bats, dormouse, otter and great crested newt
Great Crested Newt
The Great Crested Newt, also called Northern Crested Newt or Warty Newt is a newt in the family Salamandridae, found across Europe and parts of Asia.-Distribution:...
are European Protected Species. There is evidence that otters use Nant Dowlais and Nant Myddlyn, as well as the Clun and several species of bat have been sighted in the area, including Natterer's
Natterer's bat
Natterer's bat is a European bat with pale wings. It has brown fur, also seen on the leg wing membrane, tending to white on its underside...
, Long-eared
Brown long-eared bat
The brown long-eared bat or common long-eared bat is a fairly large European bat. It has distinctive ears, long and with a distinctive fold...
, Noctule
Lesser Noctule
The Lesser Noctule or Leisler's Bat is a species of bat belonging to the vesper bat family, Vespertilionidae.-Description:...
and Pipistrelle
Common Pipistrelle
The Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus is a small pipistrelle bat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, southwestern Asia, and possibly into Korea. It is one of the most common bat species in the British Isles....
.
The Clun flows through, and close to, several areas defined in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan
United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan
The United Kingdom Biodiversity Action Plan is the governmental response to the Convention on Biological Diversity signed in 1992. When the Biodiversity Action Plans were first published in 1994, the conservation of 391 species and 45 habitats was covered. 1,150 species and 65 habitats are...
(BAP) as 'Areas of Ecological Significance'. Birds of 'conservation concern' recorded in surveys of the area are Bullfinch, Kingfisher, Linnet, Reed bunting Skylark, and Song thrush.
Hedgerows
Hedgerow removal
Hedgerow removal is part of the transition of arable land from low-intensity to high-intensity farming. The removal of hedgerows gives larger fields making the sowing and harvesting of crops easier, faster and cheaper, and giving a larger area to grow the crops, increasing yield and...
throughout the area qualify for protection, under the Hedgerow Regulations 1997.
Domesticated animals—horses and sheep—are kept in many of the fields bordering the river. Farmers have been encouraged to fence off access to the river for their animals, to prevent erosion of the riverbank and to prevent organophosphates (and the alternative—synthetic pyrethoids) used in sheep dip
Sheep dip
Sheep dip is a liquid formulation of insecticide and fungicide which shepherds and farmers may use to protect their sheep from infestation against external parasites such as itch mite , blow-fly, ticks and lice...
, from contaminating the river.
Industry
Two companies in the area around the Afon Clun valley are regulated by a system known as Integrated Pollution Control (IPC). They are Nipa Laboratories, at Llantwit Fardre, who operate processes involving the manufacture and use of organic chemicals, and Maxibrite, who produce smokeless fuels at Mwyndy, using carbonisation processes. IPC attempts to minimise the impact of industrial processes on the environment. Coal Products, who produced foundryFoundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
at the Cwm Coke Works at Tynant, Beddau, were also regulated by IPC until the works closed in 2002. Under IPC the Environment Agency
Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a British non-departmental public body of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and an Assembly Government Sponsored Body of the Welsh Assembly Government that serves England and Wales.-Purpose:...
ensure that: "in carrying out a prescribed process the operator shall use BATNEEC (Best Available Techniques Not Entailing Excessive Cost) for:
i) preventing the release of substances prescribed for any environmental medium or, where that is not practicable by such means, for reducing the release of such substances to a minimum and for rendering harmless any such substances which are so released; and
ii) for rendering harmless any other substances which might cause harm if released into any environmental medium."
Since the end of coal mining in south Wales, the Afon Clun gradually returned to the condition in which it was before the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, although it has been polluted several times since then. In 2000 CE ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
discharged into Mwyndy Brook killed over 600 fish and eels, including the complete resident population of a conservation species known as bullheads, and many hundreds of small coarse fish fry, in the Clun. The coal briquetting plant that caused the pollution were fined a total of GBP31,816 in fines and costs, after a prosecution brought by the Environment Agency. Nant Myddlyn, a tributary on the Clun, suffered from a diesel spill near Llantwit Fardre, in early 2008 CE, which was raised at the Senedd
Senedd
The Senedd , also known as the National Assembly building, houses the debating chamber and three committee rooms for the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff. The Senedd building was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 1 March 2006 and the total cost was £69.6 million, which included £49.7M in...
.
Between 1994 and 1996, water quality at Nant Myddlyn—from Tynant to the confluence with the Nant Dowlais—was noted as RE5 and at Afon Clun—from the confluence with the Myddlyn to Rhiwsaeson village—the quality
was RE4. The deterioration of water quality was caused by the discharge of industrial effluent from Cwm Coke Works at Tynant. An effective effluent treatment plant was recommissioned to solve the discharge problem and water quality soon returned to RE2, until the works' closure in 2002 CE.
Since Coal Products' Cwm Coking Works closed, water abstraction
Water abstraction
Water abstraction, water extraction, or groundwater abstraction is the process of taking water from any source, either temporarily or permanently. Most water is used for irrigation or treatment to produce drinking water....
from the Afon Clun area is minimal. The Works at Tynant had used up to 3.9 million litres per day (Ml/d) from Nant Myddlyn and a borehole
Borehole
A borehole is the generalized term for any narrow shaft bored in the ground, either vertically or horizontally. A borehole may be constructed for many different purposes, including the extraction of water or other liquid or gases , as part of a geotechnical investigation, environmental site...
and occasionally, water abstraction at the Works had caused Nant Myddlyn to dry up.
The floodplain
Upstream, the river is characterised by its steep slopes and shallow soils. Around 18% of the catchment area is defined as urban and, as the area has a relatively high rainfall, the combination produces a catchment that responds rapidly to rainfall and has flooding problems throughout. Further flooding problems occur at its confluence when the river levels in the River Ely are high.Areas of flat land next to waterways are attractive to developers. Parts of the floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
between Cross Inn and Pontyclun have been developed over the last 20 years, reducing the area available for the river to overflow. The A473 (Cross Inn to Lanelay road) Talbot Green by-pass, Glamorgan Vale Retail Park, Leekes department store, Y Pant School, Ynysddu Farm housing estate and the houses along the former Pant y Dderwyn meadow have all been built where the river water used to go when its banks could no longer contain the volume. Some earthen banks (the pre-existing flood defence) are incorporated in the gardens of the Ynysddu estate. Y Pant school was constructed on the floodplain against the advice of the then Glamorgan River Board.
The authorities now consider the floodplain as an integral part of the overall river system. Under the Environment Agency's Floodplain Policy, it is deemed essential that it is kept free from development for flood defence reasons. The Clun is liable to overflow its northern bank along its one and a half mile (2.5 km) length downstream, between Cross Inn from the main A4119 (Tonypandy to Cardiff Bay ) road at Talbot Green, and Pontyclun. This floodplain provides a wetland wildlife habitat. In addition, horses are kept in the meadows, when the ground is not too waterlogged.
History
From the end of the last ice ageIce age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
(between 10,000 and 12,000 BP
Before Present
Before Present years is a time scale used in archaeology, geology, and other scientific disciplines to specify when events in the past occurred. Because the "present" time changes, standard practice is to use AD 1950 as the origin of the age scale, reflecting the fact that radiocarbon...
), mesolithic
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
hunter-gatherers from Central Europe
Central Europe
Central Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
began to migrate
Human migration
Human migration is physical movement by humans from one area to another, sometimes over long distances or in large groups. Historically this movement was nomadic, often causing significant conflict with the indigenous population and their displacement or cultural assimilation. Only a few nomadic...
to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. They would have been able to walk between Continental Europe
Continental Europe
Continental Europe, also referred to as mainland Europe or simply the Continent, is the continent of Europe, explicitly excluding European islands....
and Great Britain on dry land
Land bridge
A land bridge, in biogeography, is an isthmus or wider land connection between otherwise separate areas, over which animals and plants are able to cross and colonise new lands...
, prior to the post glacial rise in sea level, up until between 6,000 and 7,000 BP. As the area was heavily wooded and movement would have been restricted, it is likely that people also came to what was to become known as Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
by boat from the Iberian Peninsula
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. These neolithic
Neolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
colonists
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
integrated with the indigenous people, who gradually changed from being hunter-gatherers to settled farmers. They cleared the forests to establish pasture and to cultivate the land.
In common with the people living all over Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, over the following centuries the people living in what is now known as the Afon Clun valley assimilated new immigrants and exchanged ideas of the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
Celtic cultures. Together with the approximate areas now known as Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
, Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....
and the rest of Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
, the Afon Clun Valley was settled by a Celtic British tribe called the Silures
Silures
The Silures were a powerful and warlike tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and Glamorganshire of present day South Wales; and possibly Gloucestershire and Herefordshire of present day England...
.
Bronze Age
There is a group of five round barrowRound barrow
Round barrows are one of the most common types of archaeological monuments. Although concentrated in Europe they are found in many parts of the world because of their simple construction and universal purpose....
s, near the river's source at the top of The Garth, thought to be Bronze Age, one of which supports a trig. pillar
Triangulation station
A triangulation station, also known as a triangulation pillar, trigonometrical station, trigonometrical point, trig station, trig beacon or trig point, and sometimes informally as a trig, is a fixed surveying station, used in geodetic surveying and other surveying projects in its vicinity...
on its flat top.
Iron Age
Overlooking the Clun at Rhiwsaeson, Caerau Hillfort is an oval, Iron Age enclosure, measuring 755 feet (230 m) (east—west) by 590 feet (180 m). Dating from 700 BCE, it is one of the largest known hill forts in south Wales. The defences comprise a set of two banks and ditches, with a counterscarp bank. Originally, the bank stood approximately 25 feet (7.5 m) high, though much of it has been destroyed, and only 100 feet (30.5 m) of the north east (the best preserved) part remain. Where the hillside below is steepest, to the south, there are no outer stone defences, though the inner ramparts continue to the cliff edge. The entrance to the fort, at the south west, is approximately 25 feet (7.5 m) wide, between parallel in-turned banks about 50 feet (15.2 m) long.Caerau Hillfort was the subject of a forgery in a book called 'Gwentian Brut' In The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales
The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales
The Myvyrian Archaiology of Wales is a printed collection of medieval Welsh literature, published in three volumes between 1801 and 1807. Until John Gwenogvryn Evans produced diplomatic editions of the important medieval Welsh manuscripts, the Myvyrian Archaiology provided the source text for many...
, edited by JONES, O.; WILLIAMS, E.; PUGHE, W.O. (1801). The forgery was fabricated by Edward Williams (a.k.a.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Iolo Morgannwg
Iolo Morganwg
Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg , was an influential Welsh antiquarian, poet, collector, and literary forger. He was widely considered a leading collector and expert on medieval Welsh literature in his day, but after his death it was revealed that he had forged a...
) while he was one of editors of Myvyrian Archaiology, suggesting that Caerau Hillfort was the site of the "Battle of Rhiwsaeson" in 873 CE.
Tudor iron making
LeadLead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
mines
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
were opened in Mwyndy (between Llantrisant and Groesfaen) in the "Parke of Cloune" in May 1531 CE. By August 1531 CE iron ore was being mined there. Iron smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
began nearby during the summer of 1532 CE, with one bloomery
Bloomery
A bloomery is a type of furnace once widely used for smelting iron from its oxides. The bloomery was the earliest form of smelter capable of smelting iron. A bloomery's product is a porous mass of iron and slag called a bloom. This mix of slag and iron in the bloom is termed sponge iron, which...
furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
site at Mwyndy, and (probably) another smaller smelting site at Rhiwsaeson, employing 4 blowers/hewars, with three blowers operating the bellows at any one time. They produced up to 2 blooms, of 50 kg per bloom per day, from 150 kg of ore, taking 6 to 7 hours each to produce. Charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
to heat the furnaces was probably derived locally, from "Cloune Park" — mention is made by Rice Lewis in his 'A breviat of Glamorgan' (1595 and 1600 CE) of the destruction of the forests of Garth Maelog and Allt Griffith because of the ironworks. The iron mines were leased by the crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
in 1539 CE, granting rights to mine and make iron and to build water powered
Water wheel
A water wheel is a machine for converting the energy of free-flowing or falling water into useful forms of power. A water wheel consists of a large wooden or metal wheel, with a number of blades or buckets arranged on the outside rim forming the driving surface...
iron works within three miles of Cloune Park for 21 years. There is no evidence to suggest that either iron mining or smelting continued in the area after the 16th century.
It is likely that the name of the house built on or near the ironworks derived from the words mwynglawdd (mine), and dy (soft mutation from ty) (house). And from that, the area name of Mwyndy.
The mine was either reopened, or dug out near the original workings, about 1859. Over one million tons of iron ore (goethite
Goethite
Goethite , named after the German polymath Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, is an iron bearing oxide mineral found in soil and other low-temperature environments. Goethite has been well known since prehistoric times for its use as a pigment. Evidence has been found of its use in paint pigment samples...
) were mined at Mwyndy before the mine closed in 1884. The resuling lake feeds into Nant Mwyndy.
Coal
The Afon Clun marks the southern edge of the South Wales CoalfieldSouth Wales Coalfield
The South Wales Coalfield is a large region of south Wales that is rich with coal deposits, especially the South Wales Valleys.-The coalfield area:...
. There are several former collieries to the north of the river. Many pits were begun in the 1860s in Beddau, Ty'n-y-nant and Gelynog pits being the most important, prior to which the area was mostly farmland. Cwm Colliery was sunk by the Great Western Colliery Company Limited in 1909 and this marked a rapid expansion of the population. In 1923 the Powell Duffryn Steam Coal Company
Powell Duffryn
PD Ports is a Middlesbrough-headquartered British ports operator.Formerly known as Powell Duffryn, it dug its first coal mine in South Wales in 1840, and later expanded into various sorts of manufacturing...
sunk the Ynysmaerdy Colliery at Llantrisant, also known as the New Duffryn and Llantrisant Colliery, it had three shafts, employing 216 men. The Cwm was acquired by Powell Duffryn in 1928. In 1931 an underground railway linked the Cwm to the Maritime Colliery, Pontypridd and by 1934 the Cwm employed 100 men on the surface and 780 men underground. A methane gas explosion on bank holiday
Bank Holiday
A bank holiday is a public holiday in the United Kingdom or a colloquialism for public holiday in Ireland. There is no automatic right to time off on these days, although the majority of the population is granted time off work or extra pay for working on these days, depending on their contract...
Monday, 2 June 1941, killed four men — Ernest Evans (Banksman
Banksman
In British civil engineering, a banksman is the skilled person who directs the operation of a crane or larger vehicle from the point near where loads are attached and detached...
), Noah Fletcher (Winding Engineman
Winding engine
A winding engine is a stationary engine used to control a cable, for example to power a mining hoist at a pit head. Electric hoist controllers have replaced proper winding engines in modern mining, but use electric motors that are also traditionally referred to as winding engines.Most proper...
), John Gregor (Manager), and David Thomas (Switchboard Attendant
Telephone switchboard
A switchboard was a device used to connect a group of telephones manually to one another or to an outside connection, within and between telephone exchanges or private branch exchanges . The user was typically known as an operator...
) — and destroyed most of the surface buildings. The explosion would have caused far greater loss of life had it not occurred on a bank holiday. The colliery never reopened after the accident.
The mines were nationalised
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
in 1947 and in 1957 another underground railway linked the Cwm with Coedely Colliery, north of Llantrisant. The merger of these two pits created the largest colliery in the south Wales coalfield. At the peak of production in 1960, the Cwm Colliery employed 1,470 men and produced 324,794 tons of coal. British Coal
British Coal
thumb|right|British Coal company logoThe British Coal Corporation was a nationalised corporation in the United Kingdom responsible for the extraction of coal...
closed Cwm Colliery in 1986, a year after the Miners' Strike
UK miners' strike (1984–1985)
The UK miners' strike was a major industrial action affecting the British coal industry. It was a defining moment in British industrial relations, and its defeat significantly weakened the British trades union movement...
.
Ffordd-y-Bryniau
Ffordd-y-Bryniau is a 21 miles (33.8 km) ridgewayRidgeway (track)
Ridgeways are a particular type of ancient road that exploits the hard surface of hilltop ridges for use as unpaved, zero-maintenance roads, though they often have the disadvantage of steeper gradients along their courses, and sometimes quite narrow widths. Before the advent of turnpikes or toll...
walk through Taff-Ely
Taff-Ely
Taff-Ely was a local government district in Wales from 1974 to 1996.It was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the urban district of Pontypridd, along with Llantrisant and Llantwit Farde Rural District, the Taff's Well ward of Caerphilly urban district, the...
, beginning at Mynydd Maendy (SS977861), Bridgend in the west, and ending at Caerphilly mountain
Caerphilly mountain
Caerphilly mountain lies between Cardiff and Caerphilly at the southern edge of the South Wales coal field. It is 271 metres in height.Since 1957 there has been a small wooden Snack Bar located near to the summit. In September 2011 this is being replaced by an eco-friendly permanent building, with...
(ST153856), in the east. The route passes through Llantrisant Forest, Llantrisant Town
Llantrisant
Llantrisant is a town in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The town's name translates as The Parish of the Three Saints. The three saints in question are St Illtyd, St Gwynno and St...
and Caerau Hillfort, only dropping from the ridgeway at the Ely Valley and Nant Myddlyn. The Waymark is a yellow/black named disc, with a hills motif.
The route links with the Ogwr Ridgeway Walk, which joins the Coed Morgannwg Way, the Taff Trail
Taff Trail
The Taff Trail is a popular walking and cycle path that runs for between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is named so because it follows the course of the River Taff...
near Taffs Well and the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk
Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk
The Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk is a waymarked long distance footpath in the UK forming a circular walk in the Rhymney Valley area of South Wales.- The route :...
at Caerphilly Mountain.
Future developments
Improvements to the road network, in particular the A4119 linking the Rhondda ValleysRhondda
Rhondda , or the Rhondda Valley , is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley...
to the M4
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...
, through Tonyrefail and Talbot Green, brought development pressure to the area around Llantrisant. Extensive housing development has taken place recently in the villages along the A473, the main Pontypridd to Bridgend road, linking Llantwit Fardre to Llantrisant, Talbot Green, Llanharan
Llanharan
Llanharan is a small village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Llanharan thrived during the British industrial revolution, with several tin and coal mines in the location providing employment to the town's residents...
and Pencoed
Pencoed
Pencoed , is a town in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales, United Kingdom, mid-way between Wales's two largest cities of Cardiff and Swansea.Lying on the Ewenny River it has a population of around 11,000...
, the road that runs parallel to the Afon Clun from Rhiwsaeson to Pontyclun. This development brought further pressure on the road system, which led to the revival of the 1989 plans for the Church Village bypass
Bypass (road)
A bypass is a road or highway that avoids or "bypasses" a built-up area, town, or village, to let through traffic flow without interference from local traffic, to reduce congestion in the built-up area, and to improve road safety....
. Preparatory work on the bypass began in February 2008, and an announcement was made on 12 March 2008 that the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
had given the go-ahead for work to start in the 'next few months'.
An Environmental Constraints Plan has been compiled and updated from ecological surveys of 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007, with a view to minimising the impact of the bypass scheme. Findings from the surveys show the presence of Bat, Badger, Dormouse, Otter, Great Crested Newt and the Marsh Fritillary Butterfly.
Leading on from the Church Village Bypass scheme, is a proposal to dual the existing A473 Talbot Green Bypass, between the Church Village Bypass and the former headquarters of the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
The South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is the fire and rescue service covering the ten Welsh principal areas of Blaenau Gwent, Bridgend, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Monmouthshire, Newport, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Torfaen and Vale of Glamorgan....
(who moved to Llantrisant in 2009) at Lanelay Hall. However, the scheme is 'highly dependent on the level of development activity in the area', and Rhondda Cynon Taf's Strategic Site 7: Mwyndy/Talbot Green Area, in particular.
A single track railway runs north from Pontyclun station, turning west at Talbot Green to run roughly parallel to the Clun, alongside the north of the A473. At Cross Inn the track turns north east, running north of the Caerau Hillfort, and originally ran to the Cwm Coking Works at Tynant, Beddau, although the track has been dismantled to the east of Cross Inn. All the original railway paraphernalia remains intact between Talbot Green and Pontyclun, including the track, signals and bridges with cages above the track to prevent people throwing things (or themselves) onto the trains, tracks or coal wagons. The track is still embedded in the road where it crosses the A473, the warning lights remain at the roadside and the roadsigns warn drivers to stop if they see warning lights flash at the level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
. A recent consultative study (Sewta Rail Strategy Study—January 2006) has considered the possibility of reopening the Pontyclun to Beddau branch line, as a passenger line rather than just for freight. This would require new stations at Talbot Green, Llantrisant, Gwaun Meisgyn and Beddau (Tynant).
See also
- Britons (historic)
- CairnCairnCairn is a term used mainly in the English-speaking world for a man-made pile of stones. It comes from the or . Cairns are found all over the world in uplands, on moorland, on mountaintops, near waterways and on sea cliffs, and also in barren desert and tundra areas...
- EcologyEcologyEcology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
- Ecosystem ecologyEcosystem ecologyEcosystem ecology is the integrated study of biotic and abiotic components of ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem framework. This science examines how ecosystems work and relates this to their components such as chemicals, bedrock, soil, plants, and animals.Ecosystem ecology...
- List of rivers of Wales
- MesolithicMesolithicThe Mesolithic is an archaeological concept used to refer to certain groups of archaeological cultures defined as falling between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic....
- PollutionPollutionPollution is the introduction of contaminants into a natural environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms. Pollution can take the form of chemical substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light...
- Prehistoric BritainPrehistoric BritainFor the purposes of this article, Prehistoric Britain is that period of time between the first arrival of humans on the land mass now known as Great Britain and the start of recorded British history...
- River Clun, ShropshireRiver Clun, ShropshireThe River Clun is a river in Shropshire, England which runs through the small town of Clun, as well as Newcastle-on-Clun and other villages. It meets the River Teme at Leintwardine, Herefordshire....
- TumulusTumulusA tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
- Water qualityWater qualityWater quality is the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of water. It is a measure of the condition of water relative to the requirements of one or more biotic species and or to any human need or purpose. It is most frequently used by reference to a set of standards against which...
- Welsh placenamesWelsh placenamesThe placenames of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English...