Cwmparc
Encyclopedia
Cwmparc is a village
and a district of the community of Treorchy
, in the Rhondda Valley
, Wales
.
times, one of which was called Parc Uchaf and another Parc Isaf. Thus the area became known as Cwmparc and its stream Nant Cwmparc (Cwm being the Welsh for valley). With the development of the coal mining
village in this part of the South Wales Valleys
in the 19th century, the village also became known as Cwmparc.
Details of the early history and development of Cwmparc are contained within the booklet, ‘History of Cwmparc. King Coal Invades a Sylvan Valley’ by Mr Gwyn Prosser which was awarded the prize at Treorchy
Semi-National Eisteddfod in 1923. The author describes Cwmparc in 1923 as ‘a mining village of considerable pretensions, aspiring almost to the more dignified name of township’ with a population of about five thousand. He describes the Parc [colliery] and, further down the valley, the Dare colliery, and the constant processions of [coal]-laden trucks running down the railway that flanked the Parc River.
of Llandinam
described as, ‘foremost of Welsh industrial kings and founder of the renowned Ocean Coal Company’, who had in 1862 negotiated with Crawshay Bailey
to commence coal mining on the Tremains Estate. Sinking operations were begun in August 1866 and by the end of that year Parc Pit had produced its first output of coal
.
Gwyn Prosser describes how Railway Terrace was the first of the new streets in Cwmparc to be built near to the railway leading from the pithead. The street was known euphemistically as ‘Tub Row’ because of the habit of the occupants for leaving their tin bath tubs out on the pavements in the evening, ‘thus setting a trap for, and imperilling the life and limbs of unwary strangers on a dark night’. As for the rest of the village he describes how Parc Road, the main street, ‘now more than half a mile long’, contained the more ‘reputable’ buildings, such as the miners' institute
, two hotels and three chapels. Mr Prosser details how, with the influx of population, housing in the early days of Cwmparc was a major problem.
In particular he recalls one elderly resident’s recollection of how when she came to Cwmparc her family consisting of a mother, father and four children managed to secure accommodation in a shepherd’s cottage, Parc Bach. The extent of the overcrowding can be seen when you realise that the cottage already accommodated the shepherd, his family and three other lodgers. With such a demand it was not long before builders and property speculators moved into the area, thus in 1867 Cwmdare Street was completed and most of Parc Street the following year. Tallis Street, Barrett Street and Vicarage Terrace were soon to follow erected by a local building club enterprise. Tallis Street was named in honour of Mr A.S. Tallis, manager of Dare Colliery and Barrett Street in honour of a well-respected Scottish doctor in the neighbourhood.
Thirteen years later in 1936 the author provided an additional chapter to update his work. When looking at the then current state of the village there is quite a different tone from that taken thirteen years previously. He describes the industrial history of the village as being ‘overhung with gloom’ and the district as being ‘haunted by the spectre of unemployment’. The village’s main employer, and indeed reason for being, The Parc and The Dare pits had always worked intermittently and had been ‘unable to absorb all the eager claimants for work’. There had been moments of industrial strife, notably the 1926 general strike
and the ‘stay in’ strikes
of 1935.
In 1954 the National Coal Board
merged the two pits, and finally in 1966 after a hundred years of production the Parc and Dare pit closed for the last time, leaving Cwmparc’s ‘sylvan’ valley to revert in some measure back to its original beauty.
). There were many casualties with some 27 dead, three of whom were evacuee
s; all members of the same family. The evacuees were all buried in the same grave in Treorchy Cemetery. This event was the biggest loss of life that the Rhondda suffered in a single night of WWII bombing.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and a district of the community of Treorchy
Treorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
, in the Rhondda Valley
Rhondda
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...
, 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...
.
History
Early legends tell of a medieval park, or hunting preserve, in the area called Parc Cwm Brychiniog, which was subsequently made into four farms in TudorTudor period
The Tudor period usually refers to the period between 1485 and 1603, specifically in relation to the history of England. This coincides with the rule of the Tudor dynasty in England whose first monarch was Henry VII...
times, one of which was called Parc Uchaf and another Parc Isaf. Thus the area became known as Cwmparc and its stream Nant Cwmparc (Cwm being the Welsh for valley). With the development of the coal mining
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,...
village in this part of the South Wales Valleys
South Wales Valleys
The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
in the 19th century, the village also became known as Cwmparc.
Details of the early history and development of Cwmparc are contained within the booklet, ‘History of Cwmparc. King Coal Invades a Sylvan Valley’ by Mr Gwyn Prosser which was awarded the prize at Treorchy
Treorchy
Treorchy is a village, although it used to be and still has characteristics of a town, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Fawr valley...
Semi-National Eisteddfod in 1923. The author describes Cwmparc in 1923 as ‘a mining village of considerable pretensions, aspiring almost to the more dignified name of township’ with a population of about five thousand. He describes the Parc [colliery] and, further down the valley, the Dare colliery, and the constant processions of [coal]-laden trucks running down the railway that flanked the Parc River.
Early Cwmparc
The pioneer of Cwmparc’s development was David DaviesDavid Davies (industrialist)
David Davies was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1886. Davies was often known as David Davies Llandinam , in order to differentiate him from others of the same name.Davies was the son of David Davies and his wife Elizabeth...
of Llandinam
Llandinam
Llandinam is village in Powys, central Wales, between Newtown and Llanidloes, located on the A470.Llandinam was the family home of David Davies who was responsible for much of the development of the South Wales Valleys and the export of coal in the 19th century...
described as, ‘foremost of Welsh industrial kings and founder of the renowned Ocean Coal Company’, who had in 1862 negotiated with Crawshay Bailey
Crawshay Bailey
Crawshay Bailey was an English industrialist who became one of the great iron-masters of Wales.-Early life:Bailey was born in 1789 in Great Wenham, Suffolk, the son of John Bailey, of Wakefield and his wife Susannah...
to commence coal mining on the Tremains Estate. Sinking operations were begun in August 1866 and by the end of that year Parc Pit had produced its first output of coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
.
The Building of Tallis Street around 1890
Miners' institute
Miners' institutes, sometimes known as Workingmen's institute, Mine Workers' institute, or Miners' Welfare Hall are large institutional buildings that were typically built during the height of the industrial period as a meeting and educational venue...
, two hotels and three chapels. Mr Prosser details how, with the influx of population, housing in the early days of Cwmparc was a major problem.
In particular he recalls one elderly resident’s recollection of how when she came to Cwmparc her family consisting of a mother, father and four children managed to secure accommodation in a shepherd’s cottage, Parc Bach. The extent of the overcrowding can be seen when you realise that the cottage already accommodated the shepherd, his family and three other lodgers. With such a demand it was not long before builders and property speculators moved into the area, thus in 1867 Cwmdare Street was completed and most of Parc Street the following year. Tallis Street, Barrett Street and Vicarage Terrace were soon to follow erected by a local building club enterprise. Tallis Street was named in honour of Mr A.S. Tallis, manager of Dare Colliery and Barrett Street in honour of a well-respected Scottish doctor in the neighbourhood.
Thirteen years later in 1936 the author provided an additional chapter to update his work. When looking at the then current state of the village there is quite a different tone from that taken thirteen years previously. He describes the industrial history of the village as being ‘overhung with gloom’ and the district as being ‘haunted by the spectre of unemployment’. The village’s main employer, and indeed reason for being, The Parc and The Dare pits had always worked intermittently and had been ‘unable to absorb all the eager claimants for work’. There had been moments of industrial strife, notably the 1926 general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
and the ‘stay in’ strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
of 1935.
In 1954 the National Coal Board
National Coal Board
The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...
merged the two pits, and finally in 1966 after a hundred years of production the Parc and Dare pit closed for the last time, leaving Cwmparc’s ‘sylvan’ valley to revert in some measure back to its original beauty.
WWII Bombing
On the night of April 29th 1941, during the Second World War, Cwmparc was bombed by the German Air Force (LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
). There were many casualties with some 27 dead, three of whom were evacuee
Evacuations of civilians in Britain during World War II
Evacuation of civilians in Britain during the Second World War was designed to save the population of urban or military areas in the United Kingdom from aerial bombing of cities and military targets such as docks. Civilians, particularly children, were moved to areas thought to be less at risk....
s; all members of the same family. The evacuees were all buried in the same grave in Treorchy Cemetery. This event was the biggest loss of life that the Rhondda suffered in a single night of WWII bombing.
Notable people from Cwmparc
- Richie BurnettRichie BurnettRichie Burnett is a Welsh darts player who was the 1995 Embassy World Darts Champion and currently plays in Professional Darts Corporation events. His nickname is The Prince of Wales.-BDO career:...
- former darts world champion - Robert ThomasRobert Thomas (sculptor)Robert Thomas was a Welsh sculptor born in Cwmparc in the Rhondda Valley. He is best known for his work in bronze sculptures, many of which are on public display...
- Sculptor - Rachel Tresize - writer
- Ian Watkins - Pop Singer
- Geraint WilliamsGeraint WilliamsDavid Geraint Williams is a former professional footballer who also played for Wales. He has also managed Colchester United and Leyton Orient.- Career :...
- Leyton Orient football manager