Llwydcoed
Encyclopedia
Llwydcoed is a village in the Northern end of the Cynon Valley
near the town Aberdare
, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south Wales
.
In the second half of the 19th century a new period of growth was instigated by the development of the coal industry
in the area. Matthew Wayne Esq. of the Gadlys Ironworks opened the Dyllas Colliery in 1840 and in 1849 Ysguborwen Colliery was sunk by Samuel Thomas and Thomas Joseph. Among the houses built in this period were those at Moriah Place, Horeb Terrace and Grey's Place. Exhibition Row was built in 1851 and was named Exhibition Row in honour of the Great Exhibition held at Crystal Palace
that year.
Eight public house
s were open in Llwydcoed at this time. They were The Earl Grey, Fox and Hounds, Red Cow, Corner House, The Mason's, Miner's Arms, the Dynevor Arms and the Croes Bychan. At that time stop tap was midnight and a local essayist recounts the boisterous nature of the revelries.
"It is said that more beer was lost (wasted) when the furnaces, coal mines and iron-ore undertakings were being worked, especially at the start of the month, and on pay Saturday Night, than is being drunk now." (Unknown Author. 'A Glance at the History of Llwydcoed' Translated by D Williams and D L Davies.)
-type war memorial
located within the local park. It was unveiled in 1921.
St.James' Church Llwydcoed is also known as the Red Church.
Cynon Valley
The Cynon Valley , is a famous former coal mining valley within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. The Cynon Valley lies between the other mining Valley of Rhondda and the iron industrial Valley of the Merthyr Valley. Its main towns are Aberdare located North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located...
near the town Aberdare
Aberdare
Aberdare is an industrial town in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Dare and Cynon. The population at the census was 31,705...
, in Rhondda Cynon Taf, south 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
Initial development of the village was based around the Tregibbon area, where in 1801 workers' housing was built by Thomas ap Shencin ap Gibbon of Fforchaman Farm. Other early housing was built at Miner's Row, Founder's Row and Scales Houses. The names of these streets betray their early origins; the Scale family were among the founders of the works and remained partners until 1846.In the second half of the 19th century a new period of growth was instigated by the development of the coal industry
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,...
in the area. Matthew Wayne Esq. of the Gadlys Ironworks opened the Dyllas Colliery in 1840 and in 1849 Ysguborwen Colliery was sunk by Samuel Thomas and Thomas Joseph. Among the houses built in this period were those at Moriah Place, Horeb Terrace and Grey's Place. Exhibition Row was built in 1851 and was named Exhibition Row in honour of the Great Exhibition held at Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace
The Crystal Palace was a cast-iron and glass building originally erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the Great Exhibition of 1851. More than 14,000 exhibitors from around the world gathered in the Palace's of exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in...
that year.
Eight public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
s were open in Llwydcoed at this time. They were The Earl Grey, Fox and Hounds, Red Cow, Corner House, The Mason's, Miner's Arms, the Dynevor Arms and the Croes Bychan. At that time stop tap was midnight and a local essayist recounts the boisterous nature of the revelries.
"It is said that more beer was lost (wasted) when the furnaces, coal mines and iron-ore undertakings were being worked, especially at the start of the month, and on pay Saturday Night, than is being drunk now." (Unknown Author. 'A Glance at the History of Llwydcoed' Translated by D Williams and D L Davies.)
Landmarks
Llwydcoed War Memorial is an obeliskObelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
-type war memorial
War memorial
A war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
located within the local park. It was unveiled in 1921.
St.James' Church Llwydcoed is also known as the Red Church.
Notable people
- Stage and screen Actor Ioan GruffuddIoan GruffuddIoan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor.Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, he started off in Welsh language film productions, then came to international attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in the film Titanic , and as Lt. John Beales in Black Hawk Down...
was born in Llwydcoed. - Griffith Rhys JonesGriffith Rhys JonesGriffith Rhys Jones, or Caradog as he was commonly known was a Welsh conductor of the famous 'Côr Mawr' of some 460 voices , which twice won first prize at Crystal Palace choral competitions in London in the 1870sGriffith Rhys Jones was born in Trecynon, near Aberdare...
aka Caradog worked at the Aberdare Ironworks within Llwydcoed village. There is a statue of Caradog in Victoria Square in the heart of Aberdare. - Roy NobleRoy NobleRoy Noble OBE, DL, O.St.J is a Welsh radio and television broadcaster.-Biography:Noble was born in Brynamman in the Amman Valley of Carmarthenshire, the only son of coal miner Ivor Noble and his wife Sadie...
Radio Presenter on BBC Radio WalesBBC Radio WalesBBC Radio Wales is the BBC's national radio station broadcasting to Wales in the English language. Operated by BBC Wales, it began broadcasting on 12 November 1978 following the demise of the old "Radio 4 Wales" when BBC Radio 4 became a national network and moved from medium wave to long wave...
and BBC Radio CymruBBC Radio CymruBBC Radio Cymru is BBC Cymru's Welsh-language radio station, broadcasting throughout Wales from studios in Cardiff, Bangor, and Aberystwyth on FM since 1977. At the time of its launch it was one of the few FM-only radio services in the UK...
, lives in Llwydcoed. - Stuart CableStuart CableStuart Cable was a Welsh rock drummer and broadcaster, best known as the original drummer for the band Stereophonics.- Early life :...
, former StereophonicsStereophonicsThe Stereophonics are a Welsh rock band now living in turners x that formed in 1992 in the village of Cwmaman in Cynon Valley, Wales. The band currently comprises lead vocalist and guitarist Kelly Jones, bassist and backing vocalist Richard Jones, drummer Javier Weyler, guitarist and backing...
drummer, as well as radio and television presenter lived in Llwydcoed, originally from the nearby village of CwmamanCwmamanCwmaman is a former coal mining pit village near Aberdare, South Wales. The name Cwmaman is Welsh language for "Aman Valley" . For postal purposes, it comes under Aberdare....
until his 2010 death.
External links
- Llwydcoed Heritage Trail
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Lwydcoed and surrounding area
- http://www.theredcowpub.co.uk/