Treharris
Encyclopedia
Treharris is a small town and community
in the Taff Bargoed Valley in the south of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil
, South Wales
. It is located around 1 km west of Trelewis
, from which it is separated by the Taff Bargoed
river, and 1.5 km from Nelson in Caerphilly
county borough and has a population of 6,252. As a community, Treharris includes the villages of Quakers Yard
and Edwardsville. Due to steepness and narrowness of both the Taff and Taff Bargoed valleys at Treharris several notable bridges and viaducts have been built in the area.
, which begun coal mining
excavations in 1878, after sinking started in 1872. The colliery and village were named after F. W. Harris and his Harris Navigation Steam Coal Company. Originally known as Harris's Navigation Pits, the Deep Navigation shafts were the deepest at the time in South Wales. With the some shafts sunk to a depth of 760 yards to access the Nine Feet Seam, 200 yards deeper than any other colliery in the coalfield. Ownership transferred to the Ocean Coal Co. Ltd. in 1893 - so called because the pit supplied the coal for the transatlantic ocean liner
s, including the Cunard Line
. The pit became known as Deep Navigation Colliery and remained in production until 1991.
During the early 21st century, like many ex-mining villages in the area, Treharris underwent significant regeneration to the town/village centre. Most, if not all of the land where Deep Navigation was situated has been landscaped and is now part of the new Parc Taff Bargoed, where many of the local football and rugby teams train and play.
Treharris Athletic
is the local football (soccer)
team, once winners of the Western League
in 1910, who now ply their trade in the Welsh Football League
.
Treharris Mini and Junior Rugby Football Club was founded in 1994. The continued success of this club paved the way for the re-introduction of senior and youth rugby in 2009. Treharris Rugby is represented at senior level by Treharris Phoenix who compete in the WRU/SWALEC Leagues Division 7. Treharris Youth compete in the Welsh Rugby Union
RAF Youth League.
, on the Merthyr Line
between Cardiff Central
and Merthyr Tydfil.
Community (Wales)
A community is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest-tier of local government in Wales. Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England....
in the Taff Bargoed Valley in the south of the county borough of Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
, 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...
. It is located around 1 km west of Trelewis
Trelewis
Trelewis is a small village in the Taff Bargoed Valley of south-east Wales, currently located in the southern part of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council area...
, from which it is separated by the Taff Bargoed
Taff Bargoed
The Taff Bargoed Valley is a river valley near Pontypridd in South Wales, and lies off the Abercynon roundabout on the A470 road, and is approximately 14 miles from Cardiff. The main settlements are Nelson, Edwardsville, Quakers Yard, Treharris, Trelewis, and Bedlinog...
river, and 1.5 km from Nelson in Caerphilly
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
county borough and has a population of 6,252. As a community, Treharris includes the villages of Quakers Yard
Quakers Yard
Quakers Yard is a village in the Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, situated where the Taff Bargoed Valley joins the Taff Valley. Quakers Yard is part of the community of Treharris.-History:...
and Edwardsville. Due to steepness and narrowness of both the Taff and Taff Bargoed valleys at Treharris several notable bridges and viaducts have been built in the area.
History
The town was formed around Harris's Deep Navigation CollieryDeep Navigation Colliery
Deep Navigation Colliery was a coal mine in South Wales, that operated from 1872 until 1991.Located next to the co-developed village of Treharris in the borough of Merthyr Tydfil, on development it was the deepest coalmine in South Wales Coalfield by some...
, which begun 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,...
excavations in 1878, after sinking started in 1872. The colliery and village were named after F. W. Harris and his Harris Navigation Steam Coal Company. Originally known as Harris's Navigation Pits, the Deep Navigation shafts were the deepest at the time in South Wales. With the some shafts sunk to a depth of 760 yards to access the Nine Feet Seam, 200 yards deeper than any other colliery in the coalfield. Ownership transferred to the Ocean Coal Co. Ltd. in 1893 - so called because the pit supplied the coal for the transatlantic ocean liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
s, including the Cunard Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
. The pit became known as Deep Navigation Colliery and remained in production until 1991.
During the early 21st century, like many ex-mining villages in the area, Treharris underwent significant regeneration to the town/village centre. Most, if not all of the land where Deep Navigation was situated has been landscaped and is now part of the new Parc Taff Bargoed, where many of the local football and rugby teams train and play.
Sport and leisure
Treharris has the oldest Boys and Girls club in the whole of the United Kingdom.Treharris Athletic
Treharris F.C.
Treharris Athletic Western F.C. is a football club based in Treharris in south Wales. They play at the Athletic Ground. As of the 2011–12 season the club plays in the Welsh Football League Division Two....
is the local football (soccer)
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, once winners of the Western League
Western Football League
The Western Football League is a football league in the south west of England, covering Bristol, Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, western Dorset, parts of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire and parts of South Wales...
in 1910, who now ply their trade in the Welsh Football League
Welsh Football League
The Welsh Football League is a club football league in Wales. Division One of the Welsh Football League is at Level 2 of the Welsh football league system, immediately below the national Welsh Premier League.The Welsh Football League's history stretches back to 1904 when the competition was first...
.
Treharris Mini and Junior Rugby Football Club was founded in 1994. The continued success of this club paved the way for the re-introduction of senior and youth rugby in 2009. Treharris Rugby is represented at senior level by Treharris Phoenix who compete in the WRU/SWALEC Leagues Division 7. Treharris Youth compete in the Welsh Rugby Union
Welsh Rugby Union
The Welsh Rugby Union is the governing body of rugby union in Wales, recognised by the International Rugby Board.The union's patron is Queen Elizabeth II, and her grandson Prince William of Wales became the Vice Royal Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union as of February 2007.-History:The roots of the...
RAF Youth League.
Transport
Treharris is served by Quakers Yard railway stationQuakers Yard railway station
Quakers Yard railway station is a railway station serving the community of Edwardsville in the village of Edwardsville near Treharris in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. It is located on the Merthyr branch of the Merthyr Line...
, on the Merthyr Line
Merthyr Line
The Merthyr Line is a commuter railway line in South Wales from central Cardiff to Merthyr Tydfil and Aberdare. The line is part of the Cardiff urban rail network, known as the Valley Lines...
between Cardiff Central
Cardiff Central railway station
Cardiff Central railway station is a major railway station on the South Wales Main Line in Cardiff, Wales.It is the largest and busiest station in Wales and one of the major stations of the British rail network, the tenth busiest station in the United Kingdom outside of London , based on 2007/08...
and Merthyr Tydfil.
Notable People
- Lloyd Daniels, X-Factor finalist
- David DaviesDavid Davies (footballer born 1888)David Walter Davies was a Welsh footballer who played for Oldham Athletic and Sheffield United in the Football League First Division. He also made two appearances for Wales. He was born in Treharris, Wales....
, Welsh international footballer
External links
- Old Merthyr Tydfil: Treharris - Historical Photographs of Treharris.
- More old photos
- Treharris on Genuki
- www.geograph.co.uk : photos of Treharris and surrounding area