Dinas Rhondda
Encyclopedia
Dinas is a village
near Tonypandy
in the county borough
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales
. Dinas is often referred to as Dinas Rhondda as in the railway station such as to avoid confusion with Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan. Other neighbouring settlements are Penygraig
, Trealaw
, Cymmer
and Porth
.
Dinas is famous for being the site of the first deep coal mine in the Rhondda valley, which being Dinas Lower (Dinas Isaf/Dinas Ishaf) Colliery sunk by Walter Coffin
in 1812 close to his Dinas Levels near Penygraig. This was later followed by the sinking of the Dinas Middle Colliery in 1832 along the southern banks of the river Rhondda Fawr opposite from Dinas Rhondda railway station
. From here coal was carried via tramway via Porth & Cymmer
, Trehafod
and through to Pontypridd, where it was conveyed by canal to Cardiff. By 1893 production had ceased in both collieries.
In 1841 the 4 mile long Rhondda branch line of the Taff Vale Railway
was opened between Pontypridd
and Dinas, soon later to be extended up to nearby Tonypandy, before eventually being extended as far as Treherbert
by 1856. Dinas was also home to the first Methodist Chapel established in the Rhondda, the Ebenezer having been built around 1830.
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...
near 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....
in the county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...
of Rhondda Cynon Taf, 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...
. Dinas is often referred to as Dinas Rhondda as in the railway station such as to avoid confusion with Dinas Powys in the Vale of Glamorgan. Other neighbouring settlements are Penygraig
Penygraig
Penygraig is a village and community in the Rhondda Valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales...
, Trealaw
Trealaw
Trealaw is the longest village in the Rhondda Valley, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.Trealaw stretches over two miles from the junction of Cemetery Road and Brithweunydd Road in the east, to the junction of Ynyscynon Road and Partridge Road to the northwest....
, Cymmer
Cymmer
Cymmer is a small village in Neath Port Talbot in Wales, set on a hillside in the Afan Valley near the confluence of the River Afan and the River Corrwg. In 2001, Cymmer had a population of 2,883....
and Porth
Porth
Porth is a town and a community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales, lying in the Rhondda Valley and is regarded as the gateway to the Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach valleys because both valleys meet at Porth...
.
Dinas is famous for being the site of the first deep coal mine in the Rhondda valley, which being Dinas Lower (Dinas Isaf/Dinas Ishaf) Colliery sunk by Walter Coffin
Walter Coffin
Walter Coffin was a Welsh coalowner and Member of Parliament. Coffin is recognised as the first person to exploit the rich coal fields of the Rhondda Valley on an industrial scale, pioneering the growth of one of the most wealthy coal mining areas in the world.-Early life:Born in 1784 he was the...
in 1812 close to his Dinas Levels near Penygraig. This was later followed by the sinking of the Dinas Middle Colliery in 1832 along the southern banks of the river Rhondda Fawr opposite from Dinas Rhondda railway station
Dinas Rhondda railway station
Dinas Rhondda railway station is a railway station serving the Dinas, Penygraig and Trealaw districts of Tonypandy, Wales. It is located on the Rhondda Line. The station has one platform with one small station shelter and is accessible by a small connector road...
. From here coal was carried via tramway via Porth & Cymmer
Cymmer
Cymmer is a small village in Neath Port Talbot in Wales, set on a hillside in the Afan Valley near the confluence of the River Afan and the River Corrwg. In 2001, Cymmer had a population of 2,883....
, Trehafod
Trehafod
Trehafod is a village in the Rhondda Valley between Porth and Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, although in administrative terms is split between the electoral division of Cymmer to the West and Rhondda to the East...
and through to Pontypridd, where it was conveyed by canal to Cardiff. By 1893 production had ceased in both collieries.
In 1841 the 4 mile long Rhondda branch line of the Taff Vale Railway
Taff Vale Railway
The Taff Vale Railway is a railway in Glamorgan, South Wales, and is one of the oldest in Wales. It operated as an independent company from 1836 until 1922, when it became a constituent company of the Great Western Railway...
was opened between 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...
and Dinas, soon later to be extended up to nearby Tonypandy, before eventually being extended as far as Treherbert
Treherbert
Treherbert is a village and community situated at the head of the Rhondda Fawr valley in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Treherbert is a former industrial coal mining village which was at its economic peak between 1850 and 1920...
by 1856. Dinas was also home to the first Methodist Chapel established in the Rhondda, the Ebenezer having been built around 1830.